Seven Deadly SINs
by Major Mario
Summary: Prequel to Juri's Jaguar. Juri Han becomes the new leader of S.I.N., and with it comes unlimited power. When her world comes crumbling down with an important revelation, she decides to do what she should have done a long time ago: finish her revenge.
1. Day 0

**Author's Note: **Greetings! Now, this story is designed as a prequel of sorts to my other story, Juri's Jaguar. It is strongly advised you read that story thoroughly to understand that this Juri is not as psychotic as we've envisioned her to be. Specifically, read chapter 4: Explanation before reading this story.

**Disclaimer: Street Fighter and its characters and story are owned by CAPCOM.**

* * *

><p>"No no no! Get it away from me!"<p>

"Come on Ibuki," a woman playfully whined, calmly following the young ninja, "he just wants to play."

Ibuki backed up as far as she could, which wasn't far enough. Her retreat was stopped when she backed up against a wall in the room. With her eyes still on the approaching woman, Ibuki clumsily felt around her, hoping that she at least backed into a door. Sadly, she did not.

"Mak! Help me, please!"

The young woman sitting in the adjacent room, the spacious dojo area of the dojo, paid no mind to the plea. Her expression was calm, but with every rumble and vibration that came from the two women moving around, her brow twitched. Makoto was not about to stop her meditation to break the two up again. She sighed and hummed softly to herself, attempting to drown out the sounds.

Meanwhile, Ibuki slid down the wall into a sitting position, wrapping her arms around herself. Timidly, she looked up at the woman that was standing over her holding something in her hands. The black, purple and white taekwondo outfit and devilish horns the woman wore gave her a menacing look, but that was not the reason why Ibuki was terrified. She was more frightened of the thing in the woman's hands than the woman holding it.

Eight tiny eyes glared at the cowering ninja, a gleam of hunger evident in the ebony pools. Eight legs slowly pushed a hairy brown body across two open palms, eager to inspect. Two fangs hung from the body, and to Ibuki, it seemed they were clicking against each other in sadistic glee. Insects were always a problem for her, and this tarantula was no exception.

The master that held the hairy instrument of terror giggled and gently wiggled her hands, edging the spider out to her fingertips.

"I think he likes you," the woman said softly. "Go on, pet him…"

"No way Juri! I'm not touching that ugly thing!"

"Ugly?"

The spider in her hands turned around and looked up at Juri, seeming to ask for reassurance.

"Don't you listen to her Gregor, you're not ugly. On the contrary, I think you're quite handsome for a tarantula…"

At that time, a young woman appeared from a nearby room, her brown hair held up by a red ribbon acting as a headband. She frowned at the sight of the cowering ninja, giving her sympathies. However, when she looked at Juri, she smiled. Juri held the spider close to her face, showering it with gentle coos of affection. The action seemed motherly to Sakura; it was a side of Juri she rarely showed, even amongst the three girls. Her baby-talk continued, and, oddly enough, the arachnid in her hands appeared to be enjoying the attention.

"Who's a good scary little boy? You are!"

With the spider garnishing Juri's attention, Ibuki quickly scurried away from the wall and her two tormentors. She brushed past Sakura, moving into the new kitchen in the dojo. Makoto's old dojo had recently gone through a heavy renovation and addition phase- one that had created more rooms- which was enough to make the place more suitable for people to live in. Ibuki ran a hand through her hair as she sat down at a counter, closing her eyes and sighing with relief.

"Why do you insist on showing her that thing?" Sakura asked Juri, gazing at the tarantula.

"I'm helping her overcome her fear of spiders of course!" she replied enthusiastically.

"The only person I know that is afraid of spiders is Ryu. That fear of spiders is just something that comes naturally to girls."

"Not me," Makoto mumbled, turning her head to look at the two.

"Ok, most girls, but most girls aren't tomboys!"

Makoto angrily muttered under her breath, swiveling her head back to its original position to get back to meditating.

"If Ryu really is terrified of spiders, you can invite him to spend the night here." Juri softly stroked her spider, grinning. "I'll leave him a gift on his pillow before he wakes up."

"I'm surprised that you would even try to-" Sakura stopped herself, shaking her head. "Well, no, I'm not surprised that you would think of that."

"I'm surprised that you even ran an evil organization," Ibuki said to Juri from the counter, trying to avoid eye contact with the spider in her hands. "Given the way you act, I wonder how you managed to run anything for a week."

"What," Juri snapped, lowering the tarantula to the arm of the living room couch to let it hop off, "you think I failed on accident instead of on purpose?"

"I didn't say that, I was just wondering how you even managed to run an organization…"

"If you've been working with S.I.N. for years and you are suddenly thrust into the position of leader, you should know what to do then." Juri sighed and sat down on the black leather couch, slouching back and putting her hands behind her head. "Naa, I'm kidding. Leadership just comes naturally. You either lead by example or you lead by fear."

Ibuki and Sakura looked at each other, concerned expressions on their faces. They doubted that Juri would lead by example. If it was so, they would imagine things like how to kill others in a quick and efficient manner. It would be obvious Juri would lead by fear and intimidation in S.I.N., not because within that acronym was the word "Intimidation", but because it was Juri who was leading.

"I ever tell you about my time in there?"

"Yes," Sakura replied, taking a seat in an armchair, "many times. Even Nikki knows enough to run out of the room when you start going into a monologue about it."

"Huh, ok then."

"What time is it Sakura?" Ibuki asked her friend, yawning.

"You could look out the window, or better yet you could just look at your watch if you're desperate," Juri said, tilting her head back to look at Ibuki.

Sakura shrugged, agreeing somewhat with Juri's words. Ibuki huffed and looked to a window, finding night had fallen. She then looked to her watch.

"Cripes, there's nothing to do except sleep, and it's too early for that at 8 o'clock."

"Hey Juri, you've told us all about your time in England, but…" Sakura leaned forward in her seat, "what about that infamous week in S.I.N?"

"What about it?"

"Well, can you tell us about it? Did you immediately start running it into the ground?"

Juri glared at Sakura.

"Although I'd like to say that was the first thing on my mind, no. I had other plans."

"So," Ibuki muttered, walking over to the living room, "you lied back there in England?"

"I didn't lie, and I didn't con my way out of court. Unknowingly, I was well on my way to becoming the next Bison when one minor event in that week stopped that idea, reminding me of my true goal."

Sighing, Juri leaned back in her seat. The tarantula, Gregor, was nowhere to be found, but at the moment that wasn't something to worry about. He always turned up in plain sight or near a screaming ninja.

"It actually feels good to get this stuff off my chest. Are you girls busy? Do you have any plans for tonight?"

"There's nothing left to do tonight," Sakura mumbled.

"I've got absolutely nothing left to do," Ibuki said, taking a seat on the couch next to Juri, leaving some generous room between the two. "I was thinking about going out, but after eating I don't much feel for it anymore."

Juri nodded and moved over on the couch, resting her back on the arm. She placed one foot on the middle seat and another on the carpet, getting comfortable. She glanced over the couch to look at Makoto, still on her knees with her eyes closed in meditation.

"Mak? Are you listening?"

Makoto grunted. In her position it was hard to tell if she cared or not. Still, she gave a small nod to answer her question.

"Is this going to be a long story?" Ibuki asked, looking around for the spider. "Should I make popcorn or something?"

"With all the lazy snacking you do, I'm amazed you can keep your figure… I'm not going to babble into the night, maybe just talk about a day or two." She yawned and stretched, brushing a strand of hair away from her face after she was finished. "It took me awhile for the realization to set in; that Bison and Seth were dead at my feet…"

* * *

><p><em>'Now what?'<em>

Juri sat upon the body of her former boss, asking a question knowing that she wouldn't receive an answer for it. She had just killed the one who gave her directions for years and the vile dictator behind the murders of many innocents. The only one who could truly give direction was herself now.

It was an odd feeling, having no one left to order her around. She had been taken to following his orders for years, occasionally deviating from her tasks to find her own fun when things got boring. It was all the same sorts of assignments that failed to excite her: go here, take that, drop off here, assist field agent with that. She had become more of a courier and assistant than a valuable fighter, and she longed for days in which an operation would backfire, leaving her to fight her way out.

It was the thrill of the fight that gave birth to her idea of getting involved in the S.I.N. tournament. Seth played that to his advantage and reinforced her idea, allowing her to enter and take care of a few 'unworthy' fighters. It would have been advantageous for Seth had Bison not shown up at a bad time, which he did. Angered by the fact that Ryu was knocked out and Ken Masters had forfeited, Seth's mind was elsewhere and not in the fight against Bison, a mistake that had cost him dearly. Adding insult to injury, the pawn he had been so accustomed to using had finally turned against him.

She sighed and looked at Seth, smiling devilishly at his unmoving form. The Tandem Engine was smashed in by her foot, an arm was bent and mangled, and his chrome skin had numerous 'dents'.

"So far the only one paying is you," she muttered, lifting herself up.

Moving away from the chrome puppet-master, Juri rested her eyes on the soulless dictator nearby.

Bison was the deadliest opponent she had ever fought. His psycho power far outmatched her ki abilities and strength, making the battle more of a fight for life rather than mindless fun. Maybe it was that sheer disadvantage that excited Juri, to finally fight someone who was a level above her. Still, there was a thought that lingered in the back of her mind: if Bison had not been weakened in the fight against Seth, there would have been nothing to hinder him from killing her.

A red military cap with a golden skull emblem lay neglected and away from its master's caved-in head, a parting gift given by the Korean fighter. Juri picked up the hat and wiped traces of blood away from it, running her fingers across the black brim. A great evil once resided beneath this hat, but no more. She turned the hat around, looking inside it as if there was a hidden prize or reward for obtaining it.

She loved picking up items from vanquished opponents, whether it was a pair of red sneakers ripped from a ninja, a careless researcher's lab coat and sunglasses, or a symbol of an evil dictator. The only time where she had failed to pick up a trophy was a day ago in Europe. The headband of the self-proclaimed god of Muay Thai was just within her grasp when that Interpol officer chased her off.

Chun-Li… That name was enough to make Juri sigh longingly. She accused that woman of having a "school-girl crush", when she herself was guilty of the same thing. What had started as an unwelcome feeling blossomed into strange infatuation for the Chinese woman. It was obviously a one-sided relationship, as Juri had made many provocative statements in hopes of getting a blush out of her, only to receive a glare and a missed kick. She would never be attracted to Juri, but that never stopped the S.I.N. agent from dreaming about it, or hoping for a chance to capture and… interrogate her.

Juri sighed and held the hat in one hand, using the other to rub her temples. She was exhausted from the fight, yet she began to chuckle softly to herself. After a few seconds, that chuckle soon pitched to become maniacal laughter, and she reared her head back as she continued. Oh, the amount of euphoria she felt! Revenge was swift and cold, just the way it should be served. She couldn't recall what the revenge was for, but at the time it didn't matter.

She was in charge now.

While a pawn was easy to manipulate due to low intelligence or the fact of usually being kept in the dark, Juri was one exception. She had always eavesdropped on conversations that would benefit her, even more so when she learned Japanese. No one yet knew that she knew the language. Perhaps she could use that to her advantage in the near future, or at least reveal that fact soon to dishearten any employee who would think about talking behind her back.

Now, Juri wasn't just bright, she was also cunning. She had planned the death of Seth for awhile, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. With him and his mindless clones out of the way, she could direct S.I.N. to turn against Shadaloo. The death of Bison and Seth at the same time was expected, given that Juri had lured Bison to the base with her constant harassing attacks on Shadaloo and their dolls. Everything went exactly as planned, except for one hiccup.

Bison was a strange one; he was never one to stay dead. His body was broken, yes, but his soul was still alive. It would find its way back to the Shadaloo base in California, where the ever so obedient scientists would put it into yet another ugly body. The process would take a week, finishing up with a new Bison that would contain all the memories and powers of the old one. Juri could not allow that to happen. She would find a way to stop Bison from returning in time.

Coming down from her bout of laughter, Juri kicked Bison's body over to roll onto its stomach. Those lifeless white eyes always bothered her; there was no emotion or color inside them. She wouldn't have to put up with them again if she played her cards right.

She looked around the room she was in. The cold, bright fluorescent lights in the area were few. Many had been destroyed in the fight, and a few had shorted out. Those that were left filled the dank area with dim light, enough for anyone with good vision to make out shapes in it. Machine parts were lying around, broken and mangled. Juri would have to order a few engineers to fix some of the water heaters, lest she face numerous complaints from the most likely disgruntled employees.

Fighting in a large utility room wasn't Seth's best idea, but that was where Bison found him and his clones. The clones were not as valuable as 15 was, but at least each one held a Tandem Engine. The empty shells would be disposed of while the sphere would be saved for analysis. Seth's work would still continue, regardless of whether or not he was alive.

Sounds of footsteps reached Juri's ears. Most likely the footsteps belonged to the few remaining security guards that haven't been killed by Bison on his way in. Sure enough, a party of five uniformed men rushed into the room, flashlights and pistols at the ready. From Juri's standpoint, it was as if she was reliving the time when she assassinated all those operatives in public, watching as all the men with guns shot at her, smiling when her swirling ki energy deflected every bullet. It was ultimately futile in the end for them.

"What happened in here?" one guard asked, shining his light around. When the beam of light illuminated Juri, he stepped back in shock. "Han?"

"That's right," she sneered, folding her arms over her chest. "Glad you could make it on such short notice. If you'd care to look around, you would find a lot of mangled bodies and machines."

The guards shrugged and illuminated the floor, widening their eyes as the lights bounced off the chrome skin of Seth and his copies. They moved forward as a group towards the body of Bison, pistols down but still ready to fire. One of them nudged the dictator with his foot before looking up at the killer.

"15 did everything he could, but ultimately he fell by Bison's hand," Juri lied, glancing at a destroyed camera. How fortuitous for her that she could take the throne when the peasants were none the wiser! "Unfortunately, I arrived much too late for him." She produced Bison's military cap, grinning. "I don't think Bison will need this anymore, seeing as he doesn't have the head for it."

"So," one guard started, tapping his fingers on the surface of a destroyed machine, "with 15 dead… what does this mean for S.I.N.?"

"Why, it means we're under new leadership boys," Juri replied, twirling the hat around on her finger. "Don't be afraid, I'll take good care of this place, and all of you too."

"You're going to lead us?" questioned another guard, the glare from the visor of his helmet preventing the woman from seeing his stunned face.

"Of course I am. I've been his "apprentice" for years. He would have wanted me to take over if he met an untimely and completely unfortunate demise." She scowled and slowly advanced towards the group, stopping at the dictator's body. "Is there a problem?"

"…N-no Ma'am..."

"Good. Get some workers and engineers down here to get this place cleaned up. The bodies will be disposed of, while the Engines will be spared for retrieving data." She walked forward, stepping on Bison's body as she went. "Now if you excuse me…"

The guards quickly separated from their group, allowing the woman to pass through them. Attacking her or going against the spider's words was considered a death wish amongst the employees in the facility. With her as the new leader, things would be changing for the worse, or, things would hardly change at all. While the latter wasn't that favorable with her in charge, it was the best option.

"Uh… Ma'am?"

Juri turned her head to stare at the lone guard in front, his pistol in his holster and his right hand out in apprehension.

"What is it?"

"There were two other intruders besides this one, Ma'am. They've been captured and pacified..."

"Hmm," she began, tilting her head. "I don't have time for interrogation right now. There's just so much paperwork to do, so many people to inform. I'll break the news and get to those intruders tomorrow. For now, keep them in the detainment bay. Feel free to spread the news, as I'm sure you're all devastated over Seth's death."

With that, she stepped out of the room to proceed down the hall, twirling her black and purple belt as she hummed a soft tune. It was late, and many events would be happening tomorrow. The guards turned to each other, staring in complete silence. It was quickly interrupted by a cold shout from down the hall.

"You can all grieve when you're not on duty!"


	2. Day 1

**Day 1 – Wednesday: The Beginning of a New Reign**

* * *

><p>Thankfully, no one decided to murder Juri in her sleep. Why would they? A group of security guards always patrolled the hallway, cameras saw everything, and all the rooms in this area of the facility had unique locks. As a bonus to her security, her room was located fairly close to Seth's, an idea of his to raise trust in his pawn. Plus, whoever tried to assassinate her would be killed in a heartbeat.<p>

The rooms in the facility were adequate enough for a normal worker or guard to live comfortably in. The quality of the room reflected the rank or status of the occupant. Juri was neither a researcher nor a head of some project, yet she carried some weight as Seth's confidante.

She stirred, disturbing the sea of violet velvet she was submerged in. The feel of the sheets was pleasant against her beautiful skin. She slowly opened her eyes and yawned, lifting a hand up from under the covers to rub her eyes. The covers were quickly pawed off when her yawn was finished, revealing her half-naked body. Of course, she had some sense of decency: a black bra and panties.

Lifting herself up from her position on the mattress, Juri crawled across the ravaged covers to sit on the end of the bed. She looked around her room in a weary manner. None of the walls were painted, instead being made of dull grey steel. The floor was made of cold stone. A black and white rug lay in the middle of the room in front of an ornate but simple stone fireplace. Near the bed was a mahogany end table, and on it was a flashing alarm clock.

The alarm had already gone off; Juri had overslept by three hours. She shrugged off the device's scolding, flashing lights. She would get up when she damn well felt like it. With a swipe of her finger she switched the digital clock off and on, removing the flashing lights. She sighed and stood up to stretch her back.

With her hands held high above her head, Juri jut her chest out as she stretched. After maintaining the position for a few seconds, she dropped her arms and scratched her exposed back, casting a glance towards a steel and glass door. It lead to her private bathroom, which contained a vanity and shower stall. Shrugging, she approached the door and pushed it open. A shower was what she needed to wake herself up, along with a cup of coffee.

Caffeine in the morning was a luxury Juri loved. A steaming cup of coffee always perked her up long enough to deal with the monotony that plagued most of her days. Down in the S.I.N. facility, coffee, milk, and water were readily available for the staff. Once the afternoon came along, Juri would find pleasure in hunting down a can of soda before downing it. She would much rather be buzzed on caffeine than in a drunken stupor.

A few minutes later she left the bathroom wrapped in a white towel. Steam rushed out from the little room, eager to spread through the larger room. Juri shut the door behind her and walked over to a shutter control switch located on the wall directly in front of the bed. She flicked the switch up, revealing a hidden section in the wall. Inside the alcove was a large wall mirror and a wardrobe. She tugged at her towel as she looked at her reflection.

Her raven-colored hair flowed down to her shoulders without her purple hair rings to hold them in place. A desire to grow her hair out more surfaced in her mind, but she pushed it back down. There were more things to think about than just hair. She looked at her violet colored irises, taking pride in the beauty of them. It didn't matter to her that one eye was natural while the other was synthetic, a machine built in a lab. Sure it was a curse at times, but the fact that it was so useful perished any doubting thoughts.

The towel slid off her body as she opened her wardrobe. No one else came in her room, and no one else lived in it besides her and one other. Undergarments were pulled from a bottom compartment, returning a sense of decency that before was taken when it was time for a shower. She slipped another set of dark panties on, looking at her reflection as she did so. Her body was indeed something to marvel at, having been through so many trials that the muscles were well-toned and the skin left beautifully pale. The black bra came on later, along with modest self-admiration of the chest.

She then picked through a rack of clothes, attempting to find something suitable to wear. Her hand hovered over her taekwondo outfit that served as her casual-wear until Juri pushed it away with the other sets. She wouldn't have to wear the outfit as much now, remembering the events from yesterday. While she would have loved to get dressed as normal, she couldn't use this outfit. As the new leader of S.I.N., she would have to wear something else for today.

A dress wouldn't work. She wouldn't show up looking prissy, but she didn't want to look like she didn't deserve the position of a leader. Her eyes rested on a black kimono with a purple trim and sash. She reached out to feel the material, finding it felt comfortable enough to wear. The leggings of the outfit could be laced up, and the kimono was open enough to show enough skin if Juri chose to go without a bra. It was, in a way, rather inappropriate to wear if one was to make a public speech.

She released her grip on the outfit and found another one that grabbed her interest. Consisting of black leather boots, gloves, pants, and a short sleeved shirt, the outfit appealed to her. So, she put it on. After a look in the mirror, Juri figured that something was missing. A black leather trench coat completed the look easily, giving her a sinister appearance. A pair of dark sunglasses was sticking out from one of the pockets, but she ignored them. It would be silly to wear sunglasses inside.

With the outfit on, Juri closed the wardrobe and turned to walk out. Acting on impulse, she turned back around to pull out another drawer, one that was directly below her undergarment compartment. Inside were numerous 'souvenirs' from her targets and items from past triumphs. Nothing jumped out at her quite as much as that dictator's red military cap.

But yet there was one item that grabbed her attention. Hidden beneath stolen items and articles of exotic clothing was a small notebook-like object. She reached for it and examined the leather covering, turning the object over in her hands. When she tried to open it, her action was met with resistance. A silver lock prevented her from seeing what was within.

She sighed and tossed the object back into the drawer. Without a key the object was not worth her time. She then walked out of the alcove to flip the shutter control switch, hiding the area and its contents again. Her stomach growled, attracting her attention. Giving into the need, Juri moved to a small refrigerator in the corner of her room. Short and squat, the fridge held leftover food items and drinks. She took a knee in front of the appliance, opening the small door.

Inside the door were cans of soda and a decent-looking plastic bottle of milk. The bottle was removed and set on the top of the fridge with a peach danish set on a white plate. She undid the cap on the bottle and drank from it, pausing only to take a bite at the breakfast pastry. The meager meal would please her stomach long enough until the afternoon came along. She wiped her hands on the inside of her shirt when she finished, leaving the plate and bottle on top of the fridge.

Then came the preening. Teeth were brushed, hands were washed, and a touch of makeup was applied. She decided to leave her hair the way it was, at shoulder length. The outfit she wore was intimidating enough without her devilish horns. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt as if the staff was waiting for her to show up. They would have to get used to waiting on a woman.

"Well," Juri said, approaching a glass tank filled with foliage, "how do I look?"

Leaves rustled and parted to show a large and hairy brown spider. It moved forward to the glass wall, feeling the surface with two of its eight legs. The tarantula simply stared at Juri with its black eyes, neither answering her question nor ignoring it. This creature was the other that Juri shared her room with.

"Oh stop," Juri replied, smiling, "you're making me blush."

She averted her eyes from the spider when she heard noises coming from the hallway. The voices of the guards were recognizable, as was a more feminine but domineering voice. Juri went to the steel door that was the exit and opened it via an adjacent touchpad. She stepped out into the hallway between two guards in white fatigues, locking eyes with a red-haired woman. Her eyes trailed down her face and to her chest, where there was enough cleavage to get her through the day.

"I don't care if she's not up yet, she was supposed to do her damned hostile takeover announcement an hour ago! I intend to-"

The woman stopped ranting when she saw Juri standing in the doorway ogling her breasts.

"My, my... you certainly are pissed off today," she said, maintaining her lecherous gaze.

"And I have every reason to be pissed off," Viper retorted. "The staff is in disarray because 15 is dead and you're the one who took over! How the hell are we supposed to go about our projects now?"

"Don't expect me to hold your hand," Juri replied, meeting the other woman's eyes with a sneer. "You carry on as normal, but with a few minor changes."

Viper scoffed and folded her arms. Crimson Viper- that was her codename- was none too happy about this situation. She was the head of the battle suit project and the only one who had put the suit to good use in the field. The suit in question was hidden beneath her white lab coat, leaving the shock gloves and fire heels to stick out. She was a woman who exuded respect and got everything done that was asked of her, earning the nickname "Ms. Perfect".

"Is that all? Everyone is in the core, waiting for your little speech." She tapped her watch and shook her head. "You're off by an hour, Juri. We're getting tired of waiting."

"Good. You know if I got there early, I would be waiting on you instead." She waved her hand off towards the hallway. "Run along Crimmy, I'll be right behind you."

The woman with the red hair frowned and unfolded her arms, clenching her fists. She slowly unclenched them and turned to sulk down the hallway with the black garbed Korean leader trailing behind her. The two guards who were stationed by Juri's quarters followed behind the two, their weapons strapped to their backs. Soon, Viper took a turn to the left down a flight of stairs while Juri continued straight ahead. Viper's path would lead her to the core room with the other members of S.I.N. while Juri's would lead to a balcony overlooking the area. It would be perfect for asserting herself.

The sharp sound of boots on metal reached the ears of the scientists and researchers of S.I.N. Their mild ramblings and conversations came to an abrupt close when they caught sight of their new leader walking out onto the balcony that 15 always used when he observed. She gripped the railing and looked out over the room. It was eerily quiet at that time; no person dared to speak, for they did not know how Juri would react to it. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Juri spoke.

"I trust that you spent your free time wisely. No doubt you've heard of 15's demise yesterday through word of mouth." She grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Tragic, I know. You may be wondering what will happen now, and the answer is nothing."

Soft murmurs rose throughout the body of people, some of them angry, others curious.

"By nothing, I mean things will continue on as usual, but with a few changes."

"I don't believe this," came a voice from the crowd, "you're our new leader?"

Juri looked down into the group, pinpointing the source of the voice. A middle-aged Asian man stood with his arms crossed in front of the large circular core machine, his white lab coat stitched with a red cross symbol. A name tag was pinned to the front left pocket of his coat, identifying him as Satoya Yasutoki, head of the medical division. Given his status, he had a voice that would be heard.

"Why yes, yes I am. You may have some doubts over my leadership capabilities, and that's predictable. But, who better to run this organization than someone who joined it when it was born, someone who can defend herself, someone who knows the ins and outs of everything, and someone who was the late 15's confidante?" She removed her grip from the railing and stood with her arms akimbo, leaning forward in a cruel stare. "Me."

Viper looked between the two from her position amongst her team of scientists. Satoya was one to gossip and talk behind the backs of others if it was to his advantage to do so. To her, a confrontation between him and Juri was inevitable. You couldn't put the two in a room without one of them trying to show the other who was the dominant one.

"What kind of changes will be made?" interjected a young researcher.

"Simple ones." Juri stood up straight and dropped her arms to her sides. "There are few big ones, one of them being the issue of publicity."

"Publicity?"

"Yes, yes, publicity. I'm not going to make the same fatal mistake as my predecessor." She wagged her finger and said in a parenting tone: "No more stupid fighting tournaments. It'll only draw unwanted attention from law enforcement. Now, I don't expect you all to be happy with the change in leadership, but let me tell you this: Bison's dead, 15's dead, I'm in charge, get used to it." With a flick of her coat she turned to leave, shouting over her shoulder. "I want all project heads and chiefs up here in seven minutes! There are some things we need to discuss..."

There were no sighs of relief when she left. How could the employees feel such an emotion with her in charge? The researchers and scientists looked to their project heads, giving them tacit sympathy for being in their position. Viper grumbled and bid farewell to her team while Satoya folded his arms in disgust. She stopped near him and removed her yellow tinted shades, frowning.

"I don't like this either. Some of us are much better qualified than she is."

"I fear for what she'll do with her stolen power," Satoya spat, angrily moving to the exit of the room. "This Korean murderess will be the end of us!"

"Give her a few days. Watch closely to see if she screws up, if she can't handle the responsibility." She climbed the flight of stairs with the other heads, her attention focused on Satoya. "Don't do anything stupid..."

* * *

><p>The discussion the heads had with Juri was short and surprising. She gave them a rundown of things that would change and how things would work with her in charge. It was not much of a change from Seth's style. She would walk around the facility as he had done, answering problems when a worker presented her with one. If she wasn't observing, she would be found in Seth's above-ground study.<p>

Surprising was the fact that when the heads presented her with problems during the discussion, she replied with agreeable answers. She knew much about the projects; she had tagged along with Seth many times on his observation walks. The chief engineer of the facility remarked about the damage in the main utility room. He was told to use parts from the defunct Seth clones. The head of an experimental energy project needed a fix to a formula. Juri suggested changing data numbers until the researchers came up with a finite number that could be worked with. Satoya begrudgingly asked for guidance on what to do with Bison's body. It was to be burned in an enclosed space as to trap any remaining psycho power.

The BLECE project did not have a head to look after it. Seth had overseen all of its doings, hoping to find someone competent to become the head of the project. With Seth dead, Juri had complete control. Another tournament to gather fighters would be a foolish move. Instead, the data storing parts of the Tandem Engines would be fitted into Viper's battle suit production line. Assassins in the suits would track down targets, acquiring data when the target was eliminated/defeated. This was going to happen, of course, when Viper finished the suits.

Juri seemed to win over all of the heads during the discussion, except for Satoya and Viper. He voiced his discomfort numerous times, only to have them fall on deaf ears. To save face, he would work for the psychotic woman, but he would not enjoy it. A complaint was about to be fired at the end of her discussion when the security chief interjected.

"Excuse me, Ma'am?"

"What is it," Juri responded in a dull tone.

"Did you want to see the two detainees? They're still in the detention block."

"I do." She turned to the other members in the room and nodded. "You have your orders, get to work." As they started to leave, she turned back to the security chief. "Lead the way. Why don't you tell me more about these intruders?"

The chief gulped and walked forward, turning her head slightly to look to her superior. Even when wearing boots and garbed in a more decorated guard's uniform, she was a little shorter than Juri. She had short blond hair and blue eyes, a staple appearance for her German heritage. To Juri, she reminded her of a certain British woman that was determined to be a thorn in her side.

"Well, one of them is a large African American man while the other is a tall Spaniard. A team of better equipped guards managed to subdue them yesterday when that one man... Bison, was it? Yes, they subdued the two men after Bison broke in."

"Did you take their weapons?"

"Yes," the chief replied. "The black one, oddly enough, was wearing boxing gloves while the Spaniard wielded a three-blade claw and wore a mask."

"Did you get his mask?"

"At first, no. He lashed out at any guard who tried to take it. When I went to see him myself, he demanded that only I was in the same room as he. I gave in to his demand and sent the other men off so that we were alone." She turned her head to hide a blush as she continued to speak. "A-after a while, I got the mask from him."

"Good work," Juri replied sarcastically, glaring at the woman.

The woman bit her lip when she met her glare. Before more conversation could be made, the two women reached the detainment block. In the deepest depths of the facility sat this area. Cold, uncomfortable, and clean. To those who were new to S.I.N., the idea that the detention block's cells were clean frightened them. Rumors about Juri and her savageness towards detainees were as abundant as they were true. Almost every month the cells needed to be cleaned because she "broke a new toy" during interrogation.

A small group of armed guards were stationed at the entrance to the block. With a tip of their hats they parted to allow Juri and their chief through. The block itself was tiny; hardly anyone stepped out of line in the facility. The two women moved to the only two occupied cells, standing outside the doors.

Made of reinforced steel, these cells could take an entire salvo from heavy artillery or from powerful firearms before breaking. The men in the cells did not have such weapons on their person, and they couldn't break the walls with body blows, even though one of them had tried. A sheet of highly resistant bulletproof glass allowed people to look into the cells. Following traditional cells, the glass was one-way.

Juri looked into the cell to her right. A large black man in a ripped blue shirt was lounging in an old wooden chair, his feet on a nearby table. In his hands were American dollar bills, neatly organized. He had a stoic expression on his face as he seemed to be counting the money. Juri turned to the chief and raised an eyebrow.

"Forgot to take his wallet?"

"No no, we took his wallet. His name is Balrog."

"Last name?"

"It was crossed out," the chief replied.

"If you took his wallet, how does that explain the money in his hand?"

"He was bribed for his cooperation. He's not that bright; money has no use in his position, yet he doesn't know that."

The new leader turned back to the cell and nodded. She remembered hearing about Balrog during her time in Shadaloo. Greedy as a pig this man was. This was someone who would sell his own mother just to make some cash. There was no job he wouldn't do, just so long as he got paid in the end.

She moved her attention to the cell on her left, which was occupied by a tall man who was preening himself in a mirror. His long brown hair was elegantly braided to flow down his uncovered back. In fact, his entire upper body was uncovered to show his well-toned muscles and purple snake tattoo. He wore purple and yellow ceremonial trousers, a red sash, loafers, and white leggings of a matador, making him seem more suited for bullfighting. All in all, he was attractive to the Korean leader.

"Who's this one?" Juri asked.

"I uh... I didn't get his name, Ma'am," she said with a blush.

"Forgot to ask that during "interrogation"?"

The chief blushed furiously, hanging her head in shame.

"Must I do everything myself?"

Juri calmly shoved the other woman out of her way of the cell door. All the doors required either a six-digit pin number or an eye scan in order to open. Juri couldn't be bothered to punch in a bunch of numbers, so she leaned over to the eye scanner. The machine scanned her eye for a few seconds before giving a low, disappointing beep. She had scanned her right eye... Sighing, she placed her left eye in the scanner. Rays of light drifted over her Feng Shui Engine, identifying it as a creation of Seth's.

The machine showed a green confirmation light and beeped happily for her, unlocking the cell door. Disappearing into the ceiling, the now vacant door allowed her to move inside, catching the attention of the inhabitant. He turned and stared at her with a grin on his face. Juri just glared at him as she shut the door behind her.

"Well now," he started, rubbing his muzzle in curiosity, "just who is this beauty? You're not the guardsman who had the honor of meeting me yesterday..."

"No, I'm much worse," Juri said with a sinister smile. "You're one of Bison's henchmen, right? How about we start off with your name, pretty boy..."

"You don't remember me?" He smirked and wagged his finger from side to side in a mocking manner. "Tsk tsk, that is a shame... I would of thought a woman wouldn't dare to forget my beautiful face."

"Your face? You mean that one you hide behind the white mask all the time?"

"Oh my dear, I do not hide my face, I merely protect it from harm."

A spark of realization shot through Juri's mind. Of course... this man was famous for his vanity, for his narcissism. Just like Balrog, she had not met the man, but she had heard about him. She was dealing with one of Bison's three lieutenants, and this one just so happened to be a master of assassination. And seduction.

"I remember you," she said, pointing at the narcissist. "Vega D'Ellsadro, the effeminate bastard that destroyed the dam base in India! You had something planned for this facility, didn't you?"

Vega smiled and closed his eyes, reveling in his name being said.

"Mmmm... can you say my name again? It rolls off your tongue so beautifully."

"I don't think you understand the act of questioning." She stepped forward and stabbed his chest with her finger. "I ask questions, I get answers."

"That's a strange way to act," Vega replied, looking down his nose at her. "Very domineering... you haven't changed at all, Ms. Han."

"Oh I've changed alright," she muttered, pointing to herself. "With Seth dead, I'm in charge. That's the only good thing your boss did in this world..."

Vega looked at Juri closely, noticing her strange choice of clothing. He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"That's a strange outfit you chose to wear, my dear. Black is a good color for you, but wearing it to excess along with masculine clothing does not fare well for your features."

"Hmph," Juri pouted, allowing her lips to form into a sneer. "And you would know what looks good on a woman, wouldn't you?"

"You speak of that gift as if it were a curse... For some unknown reason, I've been quite popular with comely women, hence I do know what looks good on them." He walked around her in a circle, looking at her curves. "You could wear something related to spiders... a spiderweb design, perhaps? Bison did mention a Korean woman passed out in a cobwebbed storage room during one of his visits... that would be-"

A high-pitched cry of pain interrupted his sentence. Juri removed her boot from Vega's foot with a giggle.

"The day's not complete until someone gets hurt!" She snarled. "Focus, pretty boy... What else did you plan to do here?"

"Now Juri," Vega sighed, smiling despite the pain in his foot, "do you take me for a scheming psychopath?"

"No. I also take you for an egotistical bastard who thinks of every pretty woman as his next conquest."

"Now that's not true, my beauty."

"..."

Shaking his head, Vega frowned.

"Do not pout; I'll gladly answer your questions just to see that lovely smile of yours again."

Juri smiled again, but with less feeling. She moved closer to Vega, touching his bare chest. As she traced his purple snake tattoo, she spoke in a serious matter.

"Is there another attack coming?"

"I think not. Bison wanted to do this personally, with his two most trusted men at his side."

"Hmm... what happened to Sagat?"

"That old fool?" Vega laughed, reaching for Juri's hand. "He left Shadaloo five years ago. Good riddance too; his scar always disturbed me."

"What do you think happened to Bison," Juri asked, ignoring the feeling of Vega rubbing her hand between his thumb and fingers.

"Judging by our impromptu imprisonment, Bison has either died or... he no longer values my services."

"Oh yeah, he's dead." She tugged her hand away and grinned, raising an eyebrow. "How does that feel, knowing your boss is dead?"

"Well, it usually takes a week for him to be resurrected," Vega thought out loud, turning his gaze to the mirror, "so I would say it feels like a minor inconvenience..."

"Why do you still work for him? Bison is such an _ugly _man."

"So was Seth, Juri." He turned back to face her. "But you do have a point."

The Korean licked her lips in glee. She could use Vega in her plans against Shadaloo, just as long as she continued to feed him what he wanted to hear.

"Hmm... I may have a job for you... one you can't refuse."

"By "can't refuse", do you mean it appeals to me in such a way that it would be a sin to not accept, or...," he smirked and brought his voice down an octave, "do I have no choice?"

"You always have a choice. You can stay here in this little cell for the rest of your life, or you can work for this beautiful woman and mingle with the employees. Hell, I'll even introduce you to Viper. She could use some loosening up." She started for the door, looking over her shoulder back at Vega. "Why don't you stay here for awhile and think it over, huh? I'll check back in the morning for your decision."

"My decision would be based on the beauty of Shadaloo and S.I.N. So far, you've made a fair impression."

"How fortunate for me," she said with a smirk, walking out of the cell.

As she closed the cell door, the security chief came up behind her and stood at attention. Juri sighed and turned around, folding her arms. She glared at the woman again, making her uneasy. After a few seconds, the chief spoke.

"M-ma'am, will that be all?"

"Yes." She pointed to the cell with Vega, a sly grin forming on her lips. "Feel free to keep him company. I think he likes you."


	3. Day 2

**Day 2 – Thursday: Files, Quarters, and Orders.**

* * *

><p>The alarm clock glowed a harsh red light as the seconds added up slowly. It would soon be 6:45, which would signal the alarm to wake the sleeping leader. She slept on her side, her back facing the clock. Judging by her position, she had a restful night's sleep free from disturbances. This idea was reinforced when she swiftly turned over to shut the alarm off before it reached the blaring point.<p>

She smiled as she removed the sheets from her body. It was like a game for her to shut off the alarm before it went off. It wasn't as interesting as a fight, but at least it was entertaining nonetheless. Lowering herself to the stone floor, Juri felt around for the switch to the small light on her bedside end table. Just as she filled the room with light, she felt a hairy monstrosity touch her feet.

"Ah!"

Following her cry was a spinal reflex that caused her to fall back to the bed. She shifted around until she was on her knees looking over the side of it. Eight beady eyes stared quizzically back at her, as if the creature they belonged to was wondering if it had misbehaved. Rolling her eyes, Juri sighed and lowered her hands to the creature.

The spider slowly trudged forward into its master's waiting hands, brushing her skin again with its hairy legs. Soon it found itself eye-level with its unimpressed owner. Twiddling its mandibles, the spider slowly turned to look around the room.

"I could have stepped on you, Gregor," Juri mumbled, smiling. "You're lucky. Today could have been your last day to escape from your tank."

Upon hearing her statement, "Gregor" slowly turned back to Juri and made a soft clicking noise, shaking slightly.

"Don't worry sweetie," Juri reassured her pet, "I would never squash you on purpose, and anyone who tries to get you will be... dealt with. Painfully."

She hopped off the bed and onto the stone floor with the spider held securely. As the spider was moved back into its medium-sized enclosure, Juri couldn't help but let out a dark chuckle.

"Hell, If that actually happens, I'll let you bite the guy. Be a good boy and stay for mommy, alright?"

Not bothering for a response, Juri turned from her pet to start her morning routine. Get a shower, get dressed, eat something, then head out. She had a feeling something would change that routine for the better, given her newly gained status. As the leader, she could take whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. She almost made it to the bathroom door when her feet touched a material that wasn't stone.

Paper folders were scattered around the room, some thick with papers and others with hardly any. Every folder had a red "For your eyes only" stamp and a tag that made clear which project head sent it. Forgetting about the shower, Juri took a knee and shifted through the papers. She remembered sitting down in her room yesterday, looking over project reports for the remainder of the night. One of the folders caught her eye, one that was tagged with Satoya Yasutoki's name.

She picked up the folder and browsed through it. It was a report over the body of Bison, written by Satoya himself. Even though all of Bison's psycho power managed to escape when his body was incinerated- presumably back to the Shadaloo base in California-, the scientists managed to obtain two important things: a sample of Bison's DNA and ki signature. DNA was easy to get, but the ki signature was a challenge. Like DNA, every person had a ki signature that was unique, regardless of whether or not a person could utilize their ki energy. Ki signatures were relatively impossible to detect unless one had the right team and equipment, which S.I.N. had. With this ki signature, Satoya's team now was one step closer to controlling the Shadaloo dolls, which were currently in stasis in the labs.

The Shadaloo dolls were Bison's elite assassination and bodyguard force, consisting of young women around the age of 16. Heavily brainwashed to serve Bison without question, they performed every operation flawlessly without mercy or compassion. Impressed bu their skill, Seth sent his confidante to steal them for S.I.N. Juri succeeded in her mission, however losing one to the first doll. Unlike the rest of the bunch, which were all kidnapped, the first doll was created from Bison's own DNA.

Referred to as the Killer Bee, the first doll was the pride of her dictator father's force, being a soulless doll who handled the deadliest and most difficult of missions. It was during one mission where the veil of control was lifted from her eyes, allowing her to finally rebel. She, along with her sisters, turned against her master and fell into unconsciousness when he died. This was a harsh failsafe; the dolls were connected to Bison so that if he died, they would die as well. Vega, Bison's lieutenant, saved the thirteen dolls from perishing in the flames of a destroyed base out of pity, and the idea that something as beautiful as them did not deserve to die. He returned later to a reincarnated Bison with the dolls, save for the Killer Bee who was deposited on the doorstep of a British paramilitary government organization known as Delta Red. It was here where she gained her true name: Cammy White.

Juri scowled as she thought of the pigtailed operative. Her operation in the mountains would of been a cakewalk if she hadn't brought that meathead soldier along for a rowdy time of screwing things up. Her expression softened a little as she took back her thought. That mission would have been tremendously boring if all she fought were robot-like twenty-year-olds. Juri enjoyed seeing Cammy's face when she held her sister up by the scruff of her neck like a helpless kitten while another was carelessly dragged behind her. Plus, that soldier put up a good fight, enough to make Juri smile and use her Feng Shui Engine.

"Too bad he's dead though," Juri muttered with a smile. "No one survives a kick like that."

Shaking her head, Juri laid Satoya's folder on her unmade bed and picked up another one. It was a slim one, written by the security chief herself. Inside were documents that shed more light on the two detainees and their backgrounds. Apparently, Vega D'Ellsadro was a spoiled rich kid when his mother was murdered by his ugly step-father. While he exacted his revenge, his mind was warped to the point where he believed ugliness was a disease that could only be cured with a three-bladed claw. Balrog's file had much less information. All that was known of him was his upbringing in poverty, his notorious greed, and his records with Shadaloo as a lieutenant.

She tossed that folder aside and reached for a much thicker one. It was a darker folder with the BLECE project report; very important and only for Juri to read. BLECE was an acronym for "Boiling Liquid Expanding Cell Explosion", with the explosion part implying that BLECE was a weapon. However, it wasn't so much of a weapon as it was an upgrade, a way to augment one's power. Why have destruction when one could have power? As a virus created from fighting data, it would greatly increase a ki user's abilities to godlike levels with little to no expenses. Even though it required the Satsui no Hado, the BLECE virus was injected into test subjects to find if it worked as it was, in an unfinished stage.

Fortunately for the late Seth, the virus worked as intended, increasing strength and abilities tenfold. However, the victims of the virus died minutes after injection, leaving subjects with stronger ki energies to die a while later. One subject was quickly put in cryostasis to prevent his inevitable death, allowing scientists to observe him. While the body was fine, the virus ravaged the man's mind to a point where he could be legally classified as a vegetable. Also, the subject's eyes became devoid of pupils, resulting in the eye sockets housing blank white space. It's something that completely baffled the scientists, prompting them to poke and prod for a logical reason for said phenomenon. Perhaps the virus would have better luck on a stronger test subject, one who mastered their ki abilities.

"All that power," Juri mumbled, licking her lips in sick anticipation. "All the project needs is that Satsui no Hado crap before it finally takes off, then it's mine. However..." She frowned and looked back to the report on the test subject. "I hope I don't lose my right eye to this... virus? Yes, a virus, Juri. If worse comes to worse, I can always order the tech-heads to create a second eye for me. No stupid white eyes for me, plus I'll get a lot more pow-"

A chill went up her spine, breaking her concentration. Was it her subdued conscience telling her that her obsession for power was immoral? Was it a tinge of guilt? Of pleasure? No, it was none of those. Just the realization that she was in the middle of a cold room wearing nothing but her nightwear again.

Cursing herself for getting distracted yet again, Juri stood up and moved to the bathroom. Carelessly discarding her nightwear on the bathroom floor, she stepped into her shower stall and fiddled with the knobs until she was greeted with ice cold water. Growling, she shrugged off the stinging cold and switched the knobs until she received warmer water from the ungrateful shower head.

Satisfied, Juri picked up a bottle of body wash and began lathering herself with its contents. There was nothing seductive or provocative about her movements. After all, no one was watching, so she didn't feel the desire to tempt. Languidly she applied scented shampoo to her raven hair. She was almost finished getting it down to her scalp when she felt someone invade her privacy.

Like any normal human, Juri used all five senses consisting of touch, taste, hearing, sight, and smell. However, some people who used ki energy found they had a sixth sense where they were able to detect certain things. Certain things including people, animals, and anomalies nearby. It could be described as what one feels when they have a premonition of something bad happening, only more refined.

Scowling, Juri turned off the water and pushed open the stall door, grabbing a towel on the way out. She tied the towel around her waist to cover her lower body, leaving her upper body completely bare. If the intruder was still in the room, he would at least get a good look before his head was caved in. Swinging the bathroom door open, Juri glared into the room.

There was no intruder present, but there was evidence of one. The alcove in which Juri stored her clothes in was open, persuading her to walk towards it cautiously as if it held a skulking assassin lying in wait. Hung to her wardrobe was her iconic taekwando outfit, completely washed and ready to be worn. There was a note attached to the outfit written out to the new leader in delicate handwriting, one that she took and began to read out loud from.

"Dear Ms. Han, after you have finished readying yourself for the tasks ahead of you, please come outside. The manner of your sleeping arrangements is something we must discuss." She looked to the bottom of the note and sighed. "Signed, Jarvis."

Jarvis was a butler who served the late Seth. He performed the more delicate, sophisticated and sane tasks such as delivering food, tending to people who requested an audience with the leader, and organizing papers. Juri hardly remembered the man due to his tendency to remain in the shadows. He was a misanthrope and a cynic, but he always completed his tasks. It took a few seconds for Juri to realize that with Seth dead, she now had a butler at her disposal/command.

"Should I whip the stereotypical British butler for trespassing in my room, or do I let it slide?" Gregor made a clicking noise at her question, pressing his legs up against his glass enclosure. Juri saw the reaction and smiled. "You're only saying that because it was the last thing you heard! But fine, I'll be merciful this time."

She dropped the note to put on her dark breastplate, quickly adjusting the straps to wrap around her upper body. Fishing around in her undergarment drawer yielded a set of purple panties, perfect to cover up with when she dropped her towel. Next came the baggy trousers and belt, which hung loosely from her waist. Her purple fighting gloves were deposited in her wardrobe while her spiked bracelets were put on. She had a disappointing feeling that she wouldn't be fighting anyone today. After her attire was assembled, Juri moved back into her bathroom to tend to her hair.

In a few minutes, she emerged from the room with her hair done up in its usual horned style. Her hands were busy working on her right hair horn, sliding another purple ring onto it. She moved to the door out of her quarters and pressed the datapad. Immediately it opened to reveal a sharply dressed man in his mid-fifties waiting patiently against the wall of the corridor. He coughed into his hand and stepped away from the wall, putting little to no effort into a greeting.

"I see you decided to wear the same thing you wear almost every day. Excellent choice, madam."

Juri frowned and approached the sarcastic, smarmy servant.

"Cut the crap Jarvis." She looked behind herself for a moment, watching as her door slid back into place. She glared at her two guards before snapping her head back to the servant. "Why'd you barge in with my dry cleaning? I would have thought a Brit like you paid special attention to manners and chivalry."

"I hail from Scotland, madam," Jarvis replied, smirking. "Those things tend to get in the way of work. As for the intrusion, it was the only thing I could do to gain your attention. Once you leave your quarters you go off to do God knows what and I can't catch you until the end of the day. By that time you don't want anything to do with anyone."

"Hmm… Good point."

Jarvis nodded, motioning with his hands to point down the corridor.

"Now then, your sleeping arrangements have changed, madam. I trust you know where to go."

"Such a gentleman," Juri scoffed, turning on her heel to proceed down the corridor.

She walked the length of the corridor with the butler beside her until she reached an opening. Within the opening was one tall and secured door located above a large flight of stairs, flanked on both sides by banners with the S.I.N. logo. The eye in the center of the S.I.N. logo implied that the division was always watching, but that was lost on Juri, who saw the eye as her Feng Shui Engine on cloth. Near the door was a datapad and retinal scanner.

Juri walked up the flight of stairs and leaned into the retinal scanner, scanning her left eye. When it wasn't being used in fights, her eye served as a skeleton key in the facility. Just as the retinal scanner gave her the green light, the nearby datapad glowed blue and brought forth an image of a keypad with the numbers 0-9 on them. Jarvis rolled his eyes when Juri's hand hovered over the datapad for too long.

"Perhaps I could be of assistance?"

"You're already assisting me by looking over my shoulder. Good job, by the way," she said, sneering.

The door to Seth's quarters required both a retinal scan as well as a 4-digit pin number. Only a select few knew about the number, and even then they weren't allowed to go in unless the leader was inside. Juri quickly punched in the number 4875, allowing the machine to check it. The number had significance; it was the sum of each numbered clone of Seth, multiplied by the number of the only clone that mattered: 15. Soon the door disappeared into the ceiling, allowing the newly christened leader and her butler to step through.

Despite being located in the lowest levels of the facility, Seth's quarters were elegant and becoming of a leader. Red carpet was laid out near the door, leading the two to the main room. There were two more rooms held behind double doors. The room to Juri's extreme left lead to the master bedroom while the room to her right was the large master bathroom. She walked forward into the main room, raising an eyebrow at the equipment held within.

A large screen was suspended above a string of consoles resting on a white tiled floor. Nearby was a metal desk with a CEO-worthy office chair and intimidating white personal computer. Juri hopped down a set of stairs to get to the area and trail her fingers along any surface she found. Her interest lied with the consoles, which were in fact part of the facility's mainframe. She smiled with pride at her new quarters, taking up the opportunity to examine every nook and cranny. This used to be Seth's quarters, after all.

After a brief tour of the bed and bathroom, Juri returned to the main room with a satisfied grin.

"I'll send some men down to take care of your personal affects," said Jarvis, calmly brushing his suit.

"Don't do it right now, I'd rather see them do it myself when I get-" She was cut off by the growling of her stomach, producing an exasperated expression from her. "-the time…"

"Dear me, I did more than just interrupt your shower, I've drawn your attention away from hunger!" He turned to the door, keeping his eyes on Juri. "What should the chefs make for you this morning?"

"Find out if they make omelets."

With that statement Juri turned to face the consoles in the room as Jarvis left, hell-bent on trying to understand how they work and how to use them.

* * *

><p>A few hours later, Juri emerged from her new quarters on a full stomach. The two guards who were normally stationed outside her previous quarters had moved to guard the new one. They calmly tipped their white caps to their leader as she passed them. She paid no attention to them and hastened her pace down the corridor. She had big plans for Shadaloo, but she needed two people to carry them out.<p>

Such people were currently locked up in the detainment bay. Juri needed to bring those two out for a talk in an area that was in the view of cameras but also private. She snapped her fingers when she came up with just such an area: the guards' training center. There were no training sessions happening on this day, which meant no interruptions. Chuckling, Juri took out her cellphone and punched in the number for the chief of security. Her name would show up on her caller ID, taking away the awkwardness of asking who called.

"Y-yes Ma'am?"

"Have the two detainees been fed yet?"

"They've just finished eating an early lunch," the chief replied, regaining a bit of confidence. She wasn't facing her leader, but she was still talking to her.

"Good. Send them up to your training center. I want to have a word with those two."

"Yes Ma'am."

Juri terminated the call and pocketed her phone. She was thankful that she sewed on a few pockets a month ago, or else she would have to carry some kind of bag to carry her phone. There was an elevator at the end of the corridor along with a directory. Currently, the floor Juri was on was named for the sleeping quarters and mess hall. The floor below housed the detention bay and main core room, in which the core served as a huge data bank and generator for the facility. The floors above were filled with labs and testing areas, and the training center which the leader needed to arrive at.

Being too impatient to wait for the elevator, Juri took to the stairs nearby. She ran up the large flights of stairs until she reached the floor with the training center. Most people would be exhausted from climbing stairs, but not Juri, who was used to such physical exertion. The corridor connecting the stairs and elevator hub and the training center was active with researchers and scientists, all away from their labs on their lunch break.

They were all moving towards the stairs, which would take them towards Juri. She was used to hugging the left side of the wall whenever she walked the corridors, just to toy with the Americans and any other member who was used to walking on the right side. Now, however, the incoming group of people tempted her to step aside to get into a normal flow. She was just about to do that when the entire group put a halt to their conversations and bunched together on their left, providing their leader with an unobstructed path to wherever it was that she was going to.

Needless to say, Juri was intrigued, yet she wouldn't show that emotion to those below her. She had to carry herself with an air of apathy and menace in their presence. The side she was on belonged to her, and the personnel wouldn't be caught dead on that side if she was walking it. When the last person passed her, Juri turned her head to look back at the group. A few of them quickly turned their heads, having been caught looking. She smirked in triumph.

"I know that look on your face," came a voice from further down the hall. Juri snapped her head forward to look at the redheaded woman approaching her. "What scheme have you cooked up this time?"

"I could tell you, but then I'd have to-"

"Kill you, right."

Viper threw her hands back into her hair, braided to look like a snake's head was resting atop hers with the rest of the body hanging down. She took off her yellow tinted shades and stuck them in a pocket on her suit, patiently waiting for Juri to spill the beans.

"Actually, I'd have to involve you in it," Juri replied. "It's an assassination. Interested? Of course you are."

"I don't have time for this," Viper mumbled, shaking her head. "This is the only break I get for the day and hell if I'm going to miss lunch."

"Come on Viper, you and me both know how boring it is babysitting." Viper didn't respond to that statement, instead opting to ignore the vixen and proceed down the corridor. "I'll throw in a raise," Juri sang, "and a tuna fish sandwich!"

"Huh." Viper looked back at the leader with a slight smile tugging at her lips. "I want two of them. Both made by your butler, Jarvis."

"Done and done."

"Alright then, tell me who you want gone."

Juri cocked her head to the side and motioned with her hand for Viper to follow, which she did. Twiddling her fingers, Juri frowned and spoke.

"I'm talking about the Shadaloo scientists. They're holed up in their little base in California." The two reached the training center's double doors, which opened automatically to allow the women to pass through. "You have too many targets to keep track of, and unless you manage to take them all out at the same time, we'll need two others to accompany you."

"You're not suggesting that I work with the psychopath and the boxer, right?"

"They're the only ones who can get you inside. How do you know Vega is a psychopath?" Juri asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I've read his files," Viper replied. "Assassins such as me need to know the competition. He's innocent and seductive during the day, but at night, he's a cold blooded murderer."

The leader looked around the training center, having walked into the sparring area. Punching bags hung from the walls, dummies stood from the floor, and black mats dotted the area. Juri lifted a foot and touched a dummy with it, watching it move back before recoiling.

"And you're not?"

"I'm not a crazed murderer Juri, I'm an assassin. I'm a professional with standards!"

"Oh? And what would those standards be?"

"Be accurate, be efficient…" She scowled and then added, "And no unnecessary casualties."

"The fact that people get in my way gives me a perfect incentive to kill them," Juri spat back. "As long as Vega does as he's told, then I have no problem with him. Same thing goes for Balrog."

"That's no excu-"

Suddenly the doors to the area swung open, revealing a party of five guards, all heavily armed, escorting a pair of men inside. One of them, a large black man in a ripped hoodie, had his face contorted into a snarl as he gazed around the room. The other man, wearing no shirt but a pair of purple and gold trousers, seemed entertained by his fellow detainee's actions as he nonchalantly looked around.

The guards held their rifles tightly and casted quick glances at the two men, prepared to retaliate if they attempted to run. They prodded them forward until they were in front of Juri and Viper. One of the guards stepped forward and addressed his leader.

"Ma'am."

"What's with all the guns?" Juri asked, tilting her head like a confused puppy.

"It was a precaution, ordered by the chief herself."

"Ah, right. Anyway," she waved her hand towards the door, "you five can leave now."

The guard looked at her with an expression of disbelief. He wanted to question her, but the look of contempt on Juri's face persuaded him not to. Brushing past the Spaniard and American, the guard met with his group by the doors and left the leader to her own devices. The man with the purple snake tattoo snickered and ran a hand through his hair.

"Do your guards always handle guests that roughly?"

"I could've made them tie you up," Juri replied, smiling.

"Now that I wouldn't mind." He smirked as he added, "Just as long as it's you doing the tying."

Juri grinned and put a hand on her hip. Vega was by no means an innocent type. He was, however, extremely seductive, even in a situation where he wouldn't possibly get the upper hand. It would be worth noting his charms would not work against most men, leaving him to simply kill them. Women were a completely different story.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"Just as much as you would," was Vega's sly retort.

She couldn't blush; else she would show a weakness. Her eyes sank down from his face to stare at his well-toned muscles. Vega was a skinny one, not a muscle-bound ignoramus like his ugly friend. The purple snake on his chest attracted her stare, not because purple was her favorite color, but because it was mysterious and intimidating. Further down, her eyes scanned the purple and gold trousers. She licked her lips at the thought of Vega turning around to give her a better look.

"My my," Vega said in a low voice, "you've got a dirty mind..."

Lust sparked in her mind, compelling her to go further with her coy quips.

"Would you like to clean it?"

"We're not here for pleasure," Viper said, obviously disturbed by the actions between Vega and Juri. "We're here for business."

"Oh yes, that's right," Juri chuckled softly, taking her eyes off of Vega to give Viper a mocking look. "Business before pleasure…"

"Can't they mix?"

"Depends. For now let's get on track."

"Finally," muttered Balrog, grumpier as ever from having to listen to Vega and Juri's sickening banter.

"You two are facing death at the moment for being a part of Shadaloo. You're also getting a chance to prove yourselves to me." Juri walked behind Viper to stand on her left, continuing to talk as she moved. "Do this one little job for me, and I'll let you live."

"What's the catch?"

"You'll have to change sides. You will work for S.I.N., not Shadaloo."

"Hmm… Working for a lovely woman such as yourself… that's tempting, coming from you," Vega mumbled. "I wouldn't dream of stabbing my employer in the back… What else could you offer to persuade me and my ugly friend?"

"Stuff it, rich boy," Balrog angrily retorted.

Juri raised a hand, rubbing her index finger against her thumb.

"Money, of course. You'll get paid well for completing this job and you'll also get paid a little more working for me than what you usually get from working for Bison." She lowered her hand and frowned. "Which brings me to the point. Bison's dead, but…"

"He doesn't stay dead," Vega completed for her.

"Exactly. His merry band of scientists are holed up in San Francisco, California, ready and willing to resurrect him. I want you two to go to the Shadaloo base since you know where it is and how to get in there, and get rid of them." She dropped a fist into an open hand, adding emphasis to her order. "Every single one."

"And you trust us to get this done?"

"I don't, which is why I'm sending someone along to help out and keep an eye on you."

Viper took a step forward, garnishing herself attention.

"Meet Crimson Viper, professional assassin and head of the battle suit project," the younger woman announced. "She'll take part in this little mission. She'll also be in charge over there."

"You two know the layout of the base, and that's something we'll need in order to get the job done," Viper stated. "Don't do stupid things like mingling with the scientists just because you're Bison's lieutenants."

"Wait a minute," Balrog huffed, scratching his head. "Me, pretty boy, and the big-boobed girl are a team, right? I thought there was no "I" in "team"!"

"There isn't," she replied with a sneer. "However, there is an "I" in "Viper", and if you don't do as _I_ say, _I_ will not hesitate to drop you."

"Oh, I like you." Vega looked to Juri with a smug smile. "She's feisty." He quickly frowned as he brought up a thought. "I'm not so sure I'll be able to kill everyone, even with the Viper and dolt's help."

"Why? What's stopping you?"

"One of the scientists is not like the others. Not fat or ugly or pathetic." He smiled and brushed a strand of hair from his face. "I'm not confident I could bring myself to kill something as beautiful as she."

"This is where you mix business and pleasure, Vega. Go ahead and get her in bed, then poison her once you're done." She looked over at the boxer. "You've got no problem with killing these people, right?"

"Nope," he said, crossing his arms. "Long as I get paid for it."

"Good. Viper?" The older woman looked at her younger superior with a raised eyebrow. "Get these two their weapons back, suit them up, and then come meet me in my quarters. I want this done right away, so you'll use the private jet."

"ASAP, got it."

"And Vega!" He cocked his head to the side with a smirk as Juri approached him. She put a hand on his chest to trace his purple snake tattoo, grinning as she did so. "Once you get back we can discuss your sleeping arrangements and maybe get in some… overtime."

* * *

><p><em>Rindokan Dojo, <em>_Present Day, Japan_

"Huh, seems like you were really trying to get Vega in bed."

Juri yawned and nodded to the young shotokan fighter sitting in the armchair. It was getting close to midnight for the group of women, tired and drained from the day and Juri's story. Ibuki was struggling to keep sleep at bay from her uncomfortable position on the couch while Makoto was listening intently nearby, a stark contrast to how she was a few hours ago.

"We both were trying to get each other. Now that I'm looking back, I realize this was a big mistake." She threw her legs over the side of the couch to touch the carpet floor. "I wasn't myself around Vega. Then again… I wasn't myself for ten years. More so, once the Feng Shui Engine was embedded in my skull."

"So… what happened next?"

"I gave Viper some more detailed instructions, then I sent her off with the boys. After that I went to my old quarters to oversee the moving process."

"Oooh," Ibuki mumbled, half-asleep. "How did that go?"

"Fine. The men were fast and efficient, packing my stuff up in boxes. I handled my more personal objects and clothes." Juri rubbed her eyes. "I told them to just leave the boxes outside my new quarters, and I'll take them in myself."

"There's something more," Makoto said, resting her head on the back of the couch, "isn't there?"

"Well, there was a little incident involving a riding crop, but other than that, nothing more. With nothing left to do on Thursday, I stayed in my room and slowly drifted off to sleep." She looked over at Ibuki, who, normally a night owl, had passed out on the couch. Sakura was barely hanging on while Makoto didn't seem tired at all. "Hey… let's continue this story some other time."

"Muh… alright…" Sakura mumbled.

She reached down the side of the armchair to pull the lever. The chair lurched backwards and provided the young fighter a place to rest her feet as she drifted off. Makoto, nodding glumly, moved into her room. Ibuki seemed content to sleep on the couch, being a bit of a couch potato. Juri shook her head at the ninja and removed herself from the couch to take to her own room.

As she reached her sliding door, Juri looked back at Ibuki with a smile. Gregor was slowly climbing up the couch and was nearing her left foot. Ibuki was too knocked out to notice the hairy legs scrape against her skin. Giggling softly, Juri opened her door and went inside.


	4. Day 3

**Day 3 - Friday: Daiquiris, Diaries, and Dolls.**

* * *

><p>While some took to the wilderness to train endurance and others to the streets in underground fighting matches, Makoto was happy to train at home. How convenient for her that her home was a dojo, perfect for a young girl to stay at? She could spar against eager applicants and pummel dummies to her heart's content. The dojo was always a quiet place for Makoto to train at and relax in.<p>

Yes, it _was_ a quiet place, right up to the day Makoto allowed her friend Ibuki to live there. There were a few shenanigans that the ninja wanted to involve Makoto in, but other than that, her best friend never really bothered her. She was lazy by nature, despite her slim figure earned from years of strenuous training. Her friend, Sakura Kasugano, was more determined to train and be energetic, yet even with those traits Makoto couldn't help but dislike having her around when she wanted to meditate.

Then that woman entered Makoto's life again. While she had mixed feelings over Juri, she felt honor bound to give the ex-S.I.N. agent a room in the dojo after she utterly mopped the floor with her in a local tournament. Her other visitors were less than thrilled over the new resident, but, once Juri explained herself to the girls, they were understanding. Ibuki quickly took to the woman, being the easygoing college girl she was. Sakura needed much more convincing; she was easygoing as well, but she was just as stubborn as her friend in Delta Red.

Ibuki and Juri shared one thing which brought them together: their love of mischief. They formed what Sakura called a comedy trio, with Makoto as the straight woman. Every time Sakura came to visit, either the ninja or spider had something cooked up for Makoto, or, if she wasn't particularly in the mood for pranks, each other. For the two girls, it was nothing personal, just good fun at the expense of another.

Makoto could hardly stand the two at times. To prevent herself from going insane, the karate girl begrudgingly took to gardening. This wasn't a hobby, but a necessity. The dojo looked great on the inside, thanks to the trio's hard work, but the outside was lacking. If she were to attract potential students, Makoto would have to get her hands dirty.

The story Juri started last night lingered in Makoto's mind, as did the shrill screams from a startled ninja in the morning. She went out in the afternoon to tend to the plants in the back and the flowers out front while Sakura, her little dog Nikki, Juri, and Ibuki headed out to the city to pick up a few groceries. Makoto sarcastically waved them off, happy to finally get some peace and quiet. She did get that, but not for long.

She wasn't sure about the exact number of times she had defeated Dan Hibiki, the owner of the Saikyo dojo nearby, but she knew it wasn't enough. Her dojo had to be better than his, even if she was the only member. This was why she dropped everything today to accept Dan's fight request, an offer Dan quickly regretted. After many cries of "Not the face" answered by "Oh yes, the face", Makoto casually went back to gardening, allowing the defeated Saikyo master to run off with his tail between his legs.

"Oh come on," Makoto mumbled, having found a large patch of weeds in her chrysanthemums, "give me a break…"

She reached down and, wearing white leather gloves, plucked the unwanted weeds from their spots. She carelessly tossed the green menaces over her shoulder and got down on her knees to inspect the structure of the flowers. Mums were one of Makoto's favorite flowers, and yellow was her favorite color. The other two members of the house picked out their own colors for Makoto to use when planting flowers. Obviously Juri chose purple while Ibuki went with a red colored batch.

A white mum flower with a yellow center caught her eye. It stood out brilliantly against the shades of red, yellow and purple. She crawled forward and grabbed the stem of one, pushing back her straw hat with a free hand. Cautiously, she sniffed it. Her nose wrinkled in disgust. Mums never had much of a delightful smell to them, but at least they looked pretty.

She heard footsteps on the dirt path to the dojo and turned around to face them directly. The women had returned, Juri leading the small group with a brown paper bag in her hands. The other girls held plastic bags with the contents pressing up against the material. Nikki trotted up to Makoto and rolled over to her stomach: an invitation for a belly rub.

"Be a real pet," Makoto sighed, standing up. "Ignore me until you want something then chew on my shoes!"

"Hey Makoto, did Hibiki-san stop by?" Sakura asked, stopping near the door to the dojo with the others.

"Sakura, why do you keep calling him that?" Juri hissed, moving the brown bag to one hand, allowing the other to grip the doorknob. "You ditched the idiot a year ago. No need for the 'san' after his name."

"I call him Hibiki-san because it's respectful!"

"If that's the case," Juri muttered with a smirk, twisting the doorknob, "how about you call me 'Han-sama'?"

Ibuki grumbled and nudged Sakura aside to move into the dojo behind Juri. Her footsteps were heavy with anger, her grip on the plastic bags deadly. The furry creature near Makoto whimpered and ran to her master's side.

"Sorry Sakura," Makoto said, standing up. "I drove him off. He may be your teacher, but he's a rival to me."

"Ah that's alright; I know how dojo owners are."

Makoto raised an eyebrow. She wasn't sure if that was an insult or not. The sincere expression on Sakura's face convinced her that she packaged nothing ill with her statement. She scratched her head and looked to the door, then back at Sakura.

"What was in that bag Juri had?"

"I'm not sure," Sakura replied, rubbing the head of her white dog. "I was in another store at the time Juri and Ibuki bought… whatever was in that bag. Why don't you come inside? I know Juri's got something cooked up, but she won't tell me anything, neither will Ibuki."

Nodding, Makoto took off her gloves and tipped her straw hat to her back. She followed Sakura into the dojo and looked out into the kitchen. Juri was moving fast behind the counter, but with her back blocking Makoto's view, she couldn't see what exactly she was doing. Ibuki placed her bags on the counter and stormed her way to the living room, plopping down on the couch with her arms crossed. After Sakura put her bags on the counter as well, she received an elbow bump from Makoto.

"What's wrong with her?"

"She ran into a boy today."

If there were two words that could describe Ibuki better than a 'valley girl', they would have to be 'boy crazy'. After all, she skipped sessions at her ninja academy to fight in the S.I.N. tournament just to meet cool boys. She would usually be contemplating ideas for picking up boys or hounding Juri to take her out to the city so she could have a chance at meeting one.

"He plowed into me on a skateboard," Ibuki huffed, tilting her head to glare at her friends. "He shouted at me for 'getting in his way' when he was the one to blame for crashing into me!"

"You did get in his way," Sakura said calmly with a smile. "I saw you come out of the store talking on your phone, not even bothering to look around. You sort of deserved it."

"The jerk was lucky he didn't break my phone, or else I would've br-" She stopped in mid-sentence, looking at Sakura. "Hey! Don't tell me that I deserved that, because I didn't!"

Before Sakura or Makoto could retort, a loud whirring noise came from the kitchen. Juri looked over her shoulder at the three girls, all who had curious expressions on their faces. Smirking, Juri reached into the brown paper bag and pulled out a glass bottle full of a clear liquid. She ripped the seal on the neck and poured some of the contents into a blender filled with pink debris. Once done, she placed a hand on the lid of the blender and pushed a button near the bottom of the machine. Immediately the whirring noise resumed.

"What is she doing," Makoto mumbled to herself. She looked to Ibuki and pointed at Juri discretely. "What is she doing?"

"Making a smoothie, I think. But smoothies don't usually have rum in them, do they?"

"Where did she manage to get rum in the city?"

Ibuki shrugged and stared into the kitchen with the others. Soon, the whirring noises stopped. Juri lifted the blender's glass compartment out of its holster and poured the contents into four glasses. The cap to a canister of whipped cream was snapped off, allowing her to spray a good-sized glob of fluffy white deliciousness on top of each pink concoction. She shuffled around the kitchen opening up random drawers until she found a box of straws. When she was finished putting a straw into every glass, she turned around.

All the girls were at the counter, sitting on the edge of their stools. Juri laughed and placed a glass in front of them all, casually sipping from her own glass. Ibuki threw caution to the wind and sucked up a good amount right off the bat while Sakura stirred the whipped cream into the liquid pink beneath it. Makoto wiped drops of moisture off of her glass and looked at Juri.

"What is this?"

"This?" She gestured to her drink with a grin. "This is delicious!"

Sakura snickered while Ibuki held her head from a bad case of brain freeze. Makoto shook her head.

"I bet it is, but what do you call it?"

"It's a strawberry daiquiri. I thought I'd do something with those frozen berries, since you weren't doing anything with them." Juri frowned and placed her hands on the counter. "Wait a minute, how old are all of you?"

The girls looked at each other, then at their drinks. None of them were 21, even though they were close to that age. They looked up at Juri and grinned sheepishly.

"Ah, well no worries," Juri said, picking up her drink again. "It's not like we're going to drive on a Friday night."

"Why daiquiris on a Friday night? I thought people drank on a Saturday," Sakura mused.

"Well, from experience, Fridays are boring as hell. Saturday is when your friends come back into town and the fun happens." Juri's tone got darker as she cast her eyes down to the counter. "Then Sunday comes along and you lose a friend and curse yourself for being so stupid over the weekend. That's when you drink. Monday you have a terrible hangover and you don't want to be near anybody, since you're wallowing in guilt… then Tuesday you turn around and make everything right again."

Not knowing what to say to that, the girls stared at Juri. She was looking at the counter without seeing it. Makoto nervously drummed her fingers on the countertop while Ibuki coughed. Sakura cleared her throat in an attempt to get Juri's mind out of the gutter. When she succeeded, her expression turned sympathetic.

"Is… is that the layout for that week in S.I.N.?"

"I guess I drifted off a bit…" Juri bit her lip and touched her chin with her hand, nodding. "Sort of, Sakura. You girls wanted to know everything, so I'll tell you everything. Saturday will nauseate you, and Sunday will be hard to talk about. I think I left off at Friday, but hardly anything hap-"

She was interrupted by a loud burp, drawn out for at least three seconds. Three pairs of eyes focused on the young ninja, who, embarrassed by her own actions, covered her mouth with her hand. After a few seconds, Ibuki brought her other hand up over the counter and presented it to Juri, removing her other hand to show a proud smirk.

"You're so charming," Juri said with a smile, giving her a high-five. "Getting back on track here, nothing really happened on Friday."

"There's got to be something, Juri," Sakura prodded, sipping from her drink again. "Didn't you say Seth had an above-ground study that you went to?"

"Hey! Thanks kid!" She tousled Sakura's hair and stifled a giggle when she threw her hands up to stop it. "Now I remember…"

* * *

><p><em>Two years ago at the S.I.N. headquarters in [LOCATION UNKNOWN]…<em>

Sounds of heels on smooth tiled floors echoed down the bright corridors of the facility's upper levels. The sounds were not unusual for the guards on the ground floor in the afternoon. Too many times have they heard Crimson Viper's heels tik tak through the halls and out the main doors as she pursued her next mission. But Viper's heels were vacant today, as she, Vega, and Balrog left to dispose of the last remnants of Shadaloo in California.

Instead, the footsteps belonged to Juri Han, dressed in casual business clothing. A long-sleeved white shirt covered her upper body while a pair of black business slacks covered her lower. On top of her shirt she wore a black vest with a purple necktie disappearing into it. Her black and purple belt hung loosely in its intended spot. As for her hair, Juri used her 'reserve hair'- which she normally used for her devilish horns- to create a bun, leaving her front bangs alone. It wasn't as eccentric an outfit as her previous others, but it felt right on her.

She held a brown folder in her left hand and a glass of red wine in the other. Recently she had found a refrigerated compartment in her new quarters, filled with a few bottles of wine and champagne. It seemed to her that Seth had not yet evolved past the joys of drinking.

_'Eh, Seth's not around to drink this anymore,' _Juri thought, rounding a corner. _'Don't drink too much girl. Maybe a glass a day or during emergencies.'_

The liquid sloshed around in its glass container as Juri made her way to a set of double doors at the end of one hallway. Two guards were stationed there, exchanging idle chatter while at ease. Once they heard their leader approaching, they snapped to attention, looking straight forward. Juri stopped in front of the doors and gave one guard an exasperated look, shifting her eyes to the doors. The guard took the hint and opened the doors for her.

_'Other than the stupidity of some of the guards, things are going just fine.'_

She walked into the room and smiled. This was Seth's aboveground study in which he retreated to on quiet days. A large tan and green rug lay between the doors and a large ornate desk, flanked on both sides by rows upon rows of fancy bookcases. Every tome was in its rightful place and order, whether it be by color or alphabetical order. Juri stepped onto the rug and turned around to look at the upper floor of the study. It wasn't much, just a walkway from one side of the room to the other.

An antique and dusty globe rested near the desk. The structure and sphere were in pristine condition despite never being used. Juri reached out with her hand and brushed the sepiatoned sphere, revealing the Asian continent. Although tempted to spin the globe, Juri left it be. The globe had no real purpose to her, as she could use a computer to find a location much faster than that.

Dropping the folder onto the desk, Juri moved around the surface to sit in Seth's large, leather office chair. She crossed one leg over the other and leaned to one side with a hand to her chin. Casually she sipped from her glass of wine. She was in no hurry to do anything since today was a slow day. No one would dare bother her today unless it was urgent or there was a breakthrough.

Juri placed her drink on the desk and delved into the folder to take out the papers. It was yet another report that needed to be looked over. She groaned at the sight, but she swallowed her pride and read as much as she could. The engineers in the lower levels had repaired all machines that were damaged in the Tuesday attack, however, some parts they needed were not readily available. The hardhats had to send out one large request form to Juri that explained in detail what they required.

After reading enough to get the gist of things, Juri looked around the desk for a pen. The whole surface was empty except for the papers, wine glass, and weird recoil balls, which Juri set in motion from boredom. And boredom at this time of day was a serious issue. She pulled a few drawers in the desk in her quest for a pen, stopping only when she uncovered a small, well-kept journal.

Along the side of the journal was a year number. Juri gasped when she saw it, finding it was dated back four years. She never knew Seth to keep a journal, as he usually was open with his confidante. Maybe today wouldn't be so boring after all, now that there were secrets to uncover. Overcome by curiosity, Juri opened the diary and flipped to a random page.

_How many times have I demanded obedience from her? She will perform tasks as I ask for her to do, but she does not carry them out in the way I expect her to. Her mind is a tortured place which she takes pride in expressing, even at the expense of her wellbeing. If I were to find the switch in that brain to make her work efficiently, her colorful mental state would no longer be of any concern._

Interested, she turned to another random page.

_Bison visited the facility under the guise of an inspection. In reality, the dictator made certain I was causing no quarrels with Shadaloo. His methods of intimidation and ways of obtaining power are evil indeed, and it is clear he knows and revels in it. Why he goes out of his way to show others that he is evil eludes me. This is not some childish cartoon. Humans do not view their actions as evil, nor do they refer to themselves as evil. The public eye is all too quick to see a man who attempts to rise above the others and label him as a villain, a common criminal. If taking an opportunity when it arises and receiving the spoils from it is regarded as evil, then the public truly is blind._

_As I write this, that woman is gleefully carrying out another mission. She's a sadistic young witch, eager to experience the thrill of combat. The loss of depth perception should have been a major disturbance for her, yet she shows no sign of weakness. I may just have to reward her for all her hard work. Perhaps she could be a candidate for the project…_

Juri raised an eyebrow at Seth's writing, brushing another page away. The utility reports could wait; this was much more important. She set the journal aside and fished around in the desk's drawers for another one. This one had a bronze lock, but it was no match for brute force or a trace of ki energy.

She calmly stuck a fingernail into the lock and channeled her ki energy to push the tumblers into place. The lock clicked open, revealing the year number underneath. It was a double-year journal, showing the two years after Juri received the Feng Shui Engine. She flipped open to the first page: January 1st.

_After two hours of searching, one squad of guards found her in a supply closet. They reported that she paid no attention to them, instead quietly focusing on her hands, covered with the blood of three unfortunate scientists. This outburst was to be expected. She is not familiar with the power of the Feng Shui Engine, but, in time, she will be. Until then, I must keep her occupied with tasks that require her to use the eye. The deaths of a few men are negligible indeed, just as long as Juri continues to show promise with the prototype._

"Aww… That was my birthday," Juri muttered with a grin. "Seth didn't even give me a gift. Well, maybe the eye was my early present. In that case…," she raised her glass of wine into the air, "thanks chrome-dome. I'm glad it got put to good use on you."

Leaning back in her chair, Juri turned her head to look out the large one-way window behind her. A sprawling jungle landscape waited beyond a two-story chain link fence. Within the jungle was another S.I.N. perimeter which kept out animals. If a human stepped past the perimeter, a team would be dispatched to dispose of the blight.

The last drop of wine slid down the leader's throat. She would like to send for another glass, but she set a limit for herself. With the unnatural lights looming over her, Juri buried her nose in the journals of her deceased boss.

* * *

><p><em>I've received word that a group of specially trained operatives had defected from S.I.N. and had left for Asia. This was the perfect opportunity to show the world just what the Shadaloo Intimidation Network could create, and what we could destroy. My Korean confidante weighed more on destruction, which was exactly the approach needed to solve this problem. Satoya and his men installed the latest and most powerful of upgrades to her eye, intoxicating her with its seemingly limitless energy. The spider was all too eager to test the power of the eye against real threats…<em>

Juri yawned and turned the page. Her position was relaxed and unprofessional, seeing as her legs were propped up on the desk and her shoes were lying nearby. She lowered the journal and looked out the window. The sun was beginning its descent into the rainforest canopy while the moon gave chase. Shaking her head, Juri got up from her seat and tucked three journals under her arm. She would continue reading on a different night.

A rumbling came from inside a pocket of her pants, jostling her out of her thoughts. She reached into the pocket and pulled out a black cellphone, decorated with a purple spider design. Seth was the only one who called on this phone, which was strange considering _he was dead_. Luckily, the screen flashed Juri the name of the caller: Satoya Yasutoki.

"Speak," Juri said sharply into her phone. "How did you get my number?"

"Han," he addressed her, hiding a tinge of anger. "Your servant gave me your number. He figured it would be the only reasonable way to reach you."

_'Go to hell Jarvis,' _she thought, furrowing her brow.

"May I ask for a moment of your time?"

"Depends on what you'll use my time for."

"Ah, I see. Well, do you remember the Shadaloo dolls you brought in a few weeks ago?"

Juri nodded despite knowing Satoya couldn't see. She clearly remembered the operation in the abandoned mountain lab that Shadaloo once used. S.I.N. had plans to use the dolls as test subjects from the very beginning, afterwards disposing of them when they no longer served a purpose. Seth, for once in his short life, had second thoughts about his own plans and stored the dolls away, opting to use them as Bison intended. The report from yesterday told her that Satoya's team was once step closer to unlocking the dolls for use.

"Yes, did you get those robots to work yet?"

"As a matter of fact, yes." Satoya's voice held an air of pride as he said that. "We just need you down here, Ma'am. You're the key we need to unlock them."

She raised an eyebrow at his statement.

"I don't like being used, Satoya."

"Sorry," he replied in an insincere tone, "but that's our only option at the moment."

"Fine," she grumbled, walking forward. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

Pocketing her phone, Juri slipped her shoes back on and moved outside the study. Time was a luxury she could afford, so, instead of taking the elevator, Juri took to the stairs. Her free hand undid the purple tie that held her hair bun in place. Her mind wandered as she walked, focusing more on trivial things than plans and operations. The current task at hand brought her to the subject of Satoya Yasutoki.

Of course she had dealt with the man before. He worked hand in hand with Seth to create the Feng Shui Engine, dealt with every sick or injured member in the facility, and maintained most of S.I.N.s top technology. If it weren't for him, Juri's eye would still be in its prototype stage. It wasn't until Juri returned from the street fighter tournament did she receive the final version.

The upgrades always included something useful, whether it be increased vitality, improved ki generation, or heightened senses. The latest upgrade made sure that Juri's eye would never malfunction in the field. There was doubt in the back of her mind before she got the upgrade, as the eye malfunctioning prevented her from going too far with Cody Travers after she eliminated him. All doubt was erased along with the bugs in time, thanks to Satoya.

Despite the fact that Juri hardly ever got to know Satoya, she had heard many things about him. He was full of pride, arrogance, and potential. He was an engineering genius in the medical division, moving up to become the head of the med-tech eggheads. There was nothing he couldn't fix, just as long as it wasn't something too mainstream that the average technician, engineer, or employee could repair. As the leader of S.I.N., Juri needed to know this information. She needed to know who was under her thumb and who was at her disposal.

Soon, she reached Satoya's dimly lit domain after descending a few stories. Sure, a floor lamp or a few florescent lights could easily change the lighting for the better, but they would look out of place in an underground lab filled with big bright computer screens. Juri shook her head to clear that thought as she breezed down the halls. A turn to the right revealed Satoya, waiting impatiently for her near a set of large double doors.

"What's this thing about me being a key?" Juri asked as she approached Satoya.

Satoya smiled politely, yet insincerely. He readjusted his glasses as he spoke.

"I will explain more when we get there Ma'am, I promise. The dolls have been moved to a special containment room nearby."

He turned on his heel and walked away from the large double doors. Juri turned to follow him, but kept her gaze on the doors. She knew what lay beyond them, as she had been to that room many times within two years. The machine that embedded the eye in her skull and performed maintenance on it had done its job repeatedly without fail, and now, with the completed Feng Shui Engine, it would continue to serve its purpose. Perhaps the scientists could start working on a second eye?

Juri followed Satoya through another dimly lit hallway, denying him the opportunity to stop and update the tasks of any members of his team with her presence. Soon the pair reached a door that required a keycard from a med-tech member or a retinal scan from a synthetic human or his Korean blood knight. Satoya produced his keycard and slid it through a slot in the door. He waited for the reading device to analyze the data before it gave him the green light. The doors then separated into the walls, revealing a large circular room.

This room was familiar to the new leader. This was where the 24 clones of Seth were stored, in special glass tubes connected to a central computer in the center of the room. The pair stepped onto a mesh mezzanine that overlooked the room. A set of stairs that ran the length of the room led down to the floor with the tubes. As they proceeded down, Juri looked down at the figures below.

A group of women were lined up in single file formation against a wall. They were a myriad of races, hair colors, and nationalities, all wearing bright white medical gowns. With the cold temperature in the room, the women should have been shivering or rubbing their hands for warmth. Yet, the women stood like statues with their arms at their sides and their gaze held forward.

These were the Shadaloo dolls.

Satoya went to the large computer in the middle of the room while Juri dropped her journals and stepped in front of one doll. She stared at the long pink hair and the blank gaze the woman held. A poke to the ribs didn't faze her, nor did a hand in her face. The doll continued to stare blankly ahead, much to Juri's disappointment. When she cupped her face in her hands, Satoya spoke up.

"They're unresponsive to almost everything. They still have their motor skills, which made it easier to transport them."

"Oh, right, I forgot about that," Juri mumbled, removing her hands from the doll's face. "Their minds have been broken ever since Bison died."

"That is something my team and I have been trying to fix. With Bison's ki signature, we almost unlocked the dolls for our use."

"Almost?"

The med-tech head sighed and rubbed his temples.

"As long as we had that ki signature, we had a chance. We lost the signature, Ma'am; it just vanished without a trace a few hours ago."

_'Hmm… that must mean Viper and the boys finally nailed his coffin,' _Juri thought, turning to face Satoya.

"You didn't seem too worked up about losing this ki signature of Bison's when you called me."

"Yes, that's because I came to the conclusion that we didn't need Bison." He pointed at Juri. "You are what we need to get these dolls working again."

Juri raised an eyebrow. She really couldn't see why Satoya needed her to unlock the dolls minds. She wasn't a psychologist, she was a fighter. Still, talk about ki signatures gave Juri the thought that if one from a dead leader wouldn't work, perhaps a live one would do it.

"How exactly is my ki signature going to help?" Juri asked.

"It will allow us- but mostly you-to control the dolls. By giving these things something to attach to and take commands from will bring them back in business."

"So, they'll leach off of me to survive," Juri said bitterly, looking at the dolls.

"No no no, that's not the case. These dolls will be connected to you; they will form a bond with your ki energy just like they did with Bison's psycho power. They need this bond in order to operate." He clasped his hands together and shook them lightly, showing a sincere face. "Trust me when I say that no harm will come to you from this."

A calm silence fell over the two. Juri turned her head to glance back at the dolls. A group of elite assassins would be nice to have around, and the fact that they once belonged to the leader of Shadaloo upped their value. Plus, they were a sight for Juri's eyes, being all women.

_'So many things I could do with them… or to them…'_

With that thought, Juri made her decision. She turned back to face Satoya with a grin.

"Alright, let's do this."

"Good," Satoya nodded, moving to a compartment near the central computer.

He opened it with a key and pulled out a strange device. To Juri, it looked like a Geiger counter. Satoya set the contraption on the ground near her and crouched down to work on it. He fiddled with a number pad on the item's surface while Juri looked on. A small blue light flashed from a built-in screen, illuminating Satoya's tired face. He pushed his glasses back up to rest on the bridge of his nose.

What this machine lacked in appearance it made up for in functionality. This was a common man's Geiger counter, changed to find not radiation, but ki energies. The machine hummed softly after a few taps on the screen from Satoya. A small coiled rod hung loosely from his hands, connected to the main part of the machine by a black cord. His hand hovered over a knob on the machine for a few seconds before finally turning it clockwise.

Immediately the machine started to click. First the clicking was slow, then, once Satoya pointed the rod at Juri, frantic. She folded her arms and tapped her foot as the scientist looked down to tap at the screen. Murmurs arose from his throat when he seemed to struggle with the device.

"Problems?"

"I need a stronger signal, Ma'am," Satoya replied, setting the rod down on the floor. "Could you-"

Juri sighed and snapped her fingers. A plume of purple energy swirled around her hand, pulsing and glowing with power. She motioned with her fingers for the rod, taking it in hand when Satoya give it to her. As Juri easily concentrated her energy to flow from her hand to the detection rod, Satoya quickly pushed a few buttons in an attempt to stabilize the machine. The ki detector was clicking erratically; Juri's power was so great that the gauge overshot its maximum value.

A strong shock shot through her hand from the rod, bringing a masochistic smile to her face.

"There!" Satoya exclaimed as he saw the jolt in Juri's hand. "I've got it!"

He punched in a command to keep the ki detector static, and then he turned the rod off. Juri casually shrugged off the sparks that came from the rod as she dropped it to the metal floor.

"Was that it?" Juri looked to the makeshift ki detector and frowned. "I was expecting something a little flashier."

"Well, not everything is flashing lights and strange effects. Sometimes all it takes is a simple machine." He tapped a few times on his PDA, connected to the detector with a small cable. "I've got your signature. I just need to upload this to the computer."

A small card slid out from the PDA and into Satoya's hand. With all due haste, he inserted the card into a slot in the central computer. Juri moved to look over his shoulder as he booted up a program with a few keystrokes. The system gave off a pleasant hum as it worked to do as its operator commanded.

Flashing lights on the screen took hold of Juri's attention. On display was a purple strand of energy along with a few data streams. Satoya stood up and tapped a section of the strand to encircle it. Immediately the screen was bombarded with an influx of information, all in Japanese. Juri could understand most of it, but some parts eluded her.

"As you can see," Satoya mumbled, "this is your ki signature. Using the data from your signature, as well as data from Bison's, we are now ready to unlock these dolls."

"So soon? I thought you needed your whole team before you could get to this level of progress…"

"We made great progress with Bison's signature and almost managed to unlock the dolls on our own, if the signature didn't vanish just as we began." Satoya went around the computer and flipped a few switches on the side of the console. "We've prepared this room to suit the dolls since the demise of 15 and the other clones. There is no Psycho Drive to help us, but I have faith in S.I.N.'s technology."

Juri shot another glance at the eleven dolls. Other than the gentle rise and fall of their chests, they truly looked and acted like robots. A strange feeling came over her as she stared at them. She could feel their hearts beating against their chests, sense their controlled minds, and understand their true purpose, which was to serve whoever held their leash without question. She looked back at Satoya, who was looking right at her.

"Can you feel them?"

"Yes," Juri replied, grinning. "Are they connected?"

"Yes, I just got it set. They are not fully bound to you, but I've got an upgrade to your eye that can fix that. We can get that in you tomorrow." A few more keystrokes and flipped switches brought Satoya to the deciding point. His finger hovered over the return key. "I've prepared a frequency from your ki signature which only the dolls can read. This is the moment where Shadaloo's dolls become ours… Are you ready?"

She nodded.

Satoya tapped the return key and watched as the display changed to an image of the ki signature and doll frequency strands. The two strands became one, sending out the signal. Juri felt a tingling sensation in her head as she looked at the display, turning around to look at the dolls. The frequency was not meant for her, but, if it were meant for the dolls, she could feel a watered-down sensation from them due to her newfound connection.

As if on cue, the eleven dolls twitched as one, moving their heads back with aghast expressions. They maintained the expression for a few seconds before closing their eyes and hanging their heads. An eerie silence permeated the room, maintaining its presence for a full minute. Juri grunted and tapped her foot impatiently.

Once again, as one body of women, the dolls snapped their eyes open and held their heads up high. Posture changed from a stiff slouch to a full upright position. Feet snapped together. Eyes stared straight ahead. Using their right arms, the dolls performed a crisp salute in unison.

Juri giggled darkly.

"Oh this is going to be fun…" She went to the first doll and slowly went down the line, speaking as she did so. "Are you fit for duty, girls?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" they shouted back, failing to make Juri wince from the proximity.

"Really?" Juri reached out to feel the medical gown of one doll. "You're not wearing your gear. Will you fight in such revealing gowns without your gear?"

"No, Ma'am!"

"Good girls. At ease."

The dolls swung their arms back to their sides. The only hint that they were at ease was that their feet were just a little further apart than they were before. Juri examined the dolls while Satoya continued to monitor his computer. The dolls all seemed perfectly fine, but there was one doll that caught Juri's eye.

She moved to the end of the line and furrowed her brow at the sight of the last doll. Staring blankly ahead was an almost perfect imitation of Cammy White. Irritated, Juri reached out and cupped the doll's face in her hands. The doll offered no resistance. She rubbed the left side of her face with her thumb, remembering that the Killer Bee had a scar there. This replica did not.

"What's your name?" she bitterly asked the doll.

The doll didn't move to look at her new master.

"Decapre, Ma'am," she replied in a thick Russian accent.

Removing her hands from the doll's face, Juri looked at the other dolls. All the dolls came from different countries, kidnapped by Bison. Out of 6 billion people, why did one doll have to look like that pigtailed operative? Juri turned back to Decapre, her hands slowly balling up into fists. Her anger grew as she looked at her face. How dare she remind her of the Englishwoman!

Suddenly, one doll grunted and slouched forward. Satoya stood nearby with a notepad and a bemused look as she fell to the floor. None of the other dolls acknowledged her except for one with red hair. It seemed that she was drawn to notice the ills of her brainwashed comrades as if it were her job to aid them. Juri didn't notice the redhead, but she did notice the fallen doll.

She calmly rolled the doll over with her foot, taking note of her blank expression and brown hair. This doll struck a chord in Juri's memory; this was one of two dolls which were the last to be stolen from the mountain base. The other doll was pushed off her jet to remove a pigtailed problem. Growling, Juri bent down to lift the woman a foot off the floor by the collar of her medical gown.

"Get up!"

The doll didn't answer. It only stared blankly forward. A slap to the face sent her head rolling to the side, yet it didn't bring forth any signs of pain. Another slap to the face, this time harder. No reaction. Just as Juri readied a backhand, another feeling came over her. She could now only feel ten dolls in her presence instead of eleven.

"You," Juri said, pointing at the redheaded doll, "who is this?"

"Juli, Ma'am."

"This was what I was afraid of…" Satoya muttered as he squatted down near the brown haired doll. "There was a chance that not every doll would be susceptible to the frequency…"

"Satoya, get the frequency going again."

"If you're thinking that can fix this one, it won't." He stood up again. "If it didn't work the first time, it won't work the second. Plus, having the frequency go again would severely warp the minds of the operational dolls."

Juri cursed under her breath and dropped the broken doll to the floor.

"Then this one is nothing but a spare body. You can keep this one and use it in your testing." She sighed and stood to look at the rest of the dolls. "Have they been looked after while in storage?"

"We've kept them alive in storage with nutrients and fluids, but now that they're up, they can move on."

"Where is their gear?"

"The chief of security has all the items and uniforms of the dolls locked up in the armory."

"Alright, that solves that problem." She turned back to look at Satoya. "We're done here. Do what you want with the broken doll while I get these girls to suit up. Send for me tomorrow when you're ready for the eye upgrade."

Satoya nodded and crouched over Juli with a flashlight, shining it in her eyes. Juri shook her head at the sight and glared at the other dolls. They saluted again and clicked their bare heels together.

'_I can't wait to play with you girls tomorrow…'_


	5. Day 4

**Day 4 – Saturday: Slaughter of wolves.**

* * *

><p>All was quiet that Saturday morning. Assistants brewed coffee and stacked papers for their superiors, researchers picked up their clipboards and pencils, and scientists groggily worked their way into their white suits as they prepared for the workday. Guards changed patrol routes and shifted positions while engineers and technicians trolled for problems that could be fixed with a few simple tools.<p>

A door opened in the sleeping quarters level, a small blond haired woman stepping out in a more decorated guardsman uniform. She rubbed her eyes and yawned, moving her hands to her back to stretch. After holding her position for a few seconds, the security chief slouched and rubbed her back. She turned to the right and began her long walk to her detainment bay. Just as she took the first stride forward did she hear the sound of combat boots behind her.

She turned quickly to face the owner of the boots with her hands slightly raised in anticipation of a strike which never came. An emotionless face and blank eyes greeted her startled expression. The pink-haired doll was wearing her standard black Shadaloo leotard uniform, retouched with the emblem of S.I.N. on the right breast and a few weapon holsters attached to her legs and back. A black garrison cap rested upon her head and a flat hand was angled against her forehead.

The security chief nervously returned the salute, realizing the doll meant her no harm. This doll- Février was her name- was assigned to the chief as her personal guard and assistant. She, or it, supposedly specialized in firearms… but the chief would not be willing to hand over weapons to a brainwashed body until it proved itself. She had heard that Juri Han and Satoya Yasutoki restored the dolls for use as assassins and bodyguards, but she didn't expect them to be ready so quickly.

Sighing, the chief went down the corridor with her young doll following closely behind. She moved into the large opening that held the entrance to the leader's quarters, calmly giving a nod to the two guards stationed at either side of Juri's door as she passed. The guards seemed a little uneasy about the doll behind their chief, but if the chief didn't seem to mind, then they had no reason to either, nodding back. Their focus was on protecting the South Korean leader from anything that tried to breach the doors.

The South Korean in question was currently in the bathroom, leaning over Seth's large and luxurious corner tub. Steam rose from the water and fogged up every reflective surface in the room, including the floor tiles. Giggling softly to herself, Juri pressed a random button on the side of the tub. Jets activated near the bottom of the tub to caress the occupant's back, if there was one present. She deactivated the jets and led her foot into the water, following it in once it touched the bottom.

Gently she lowered herself into the tub with a goofy grin. The feeling of having Seth's position of leader, his personal quarters, and use of his objects never got old. She made it a point not to get her hands wet, as she leaned over the side of the tub to pick up a clipboard. A pencil and pen were attached to the board, as was a paper sketch of something.

She scooted back to sit up against the back of the tub. Holding the clipboard a few feet above the water with her left hand, she took the pencil and tapped the board. An outline of what looked like a person was clearly seen, but who the person was… was yet to be determined by Juri. She scratched her head with the eraser as she thought of whom to draw.

Drawing well was a talent Juri possessed since she was young. She first discovered said talent during her first year in S.I.N. when she would be left alone in her quarters. Diaries were tempting to create, but Juri chose art over writing, finding it calming to sketch after a hectic day. Those drawings were her diaries in a way, as she would draw when she experienced something new or wished to store a memory. But she mostly drew what she wanted, when she wanted.

Already her pencil hand began moving on impulse, adding more lines to the lower body. The feet of the subject were covered in soon-to-be well detailed boots. The legs were positioned in a way that the person drawn was kicking from a high stance. Thighs were drawn thick and extremely muscular, but feminine. This would be the body of a fighter, and Juri knew exactly which fighter she was drawing.

After getting a rough outline of the lower body, Juri set her sketch aside on the floor. Warm water had a nasty habit of leaving the skin prune-like after a certain amount of exposure, and she hated it when that happened to her skin. Sighing positively, she picked up a bar of scented soap and lathered her body with it. A leg was raised out of the water, allowing her to rub in the soap's scent without the water restricting her actions.

It was the same routine as in a shower, only horizontal, luxurious, and slow. Juri allowed the water to drain from the tub as she tended to her hair. Her raven strands clung to her face, but a few fingers running through them in an effort to shampoo efficiently solved that problem. Using the last of the water, she rinsed herself clean of suds and stepped out of the tub, careful not to let any stray drops of water hit the sketch on the floor.

She reached for a towel and dried herself off with it. Wrapping it around her body to cover her more inappropriate areas, she looked to the floor. Her sketch was picked up from the tiled floor, her fingers brushing every last bit of eraser shavings off. White tiled floors and walls gave the room a sterile feeling, as the room was commonly used to wash the toils of the day away. Juri passed a short row of lavish counters to reach the door. She griped the golden knob and twisted.

As she entered the main room, she heard the click of heels and the whoosh of a hand snapping to a forehead. She groaned and looked at her purple-haired doll, in the same 'at the ready' stance near the exit as she had been for hours.

"Stop saluting me every time I enter a room," she ordered with an air of exasperation.

"Yes, Ma'am!" the doll responded.

"And stop shouting in my room! Use your indoor voice."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Shaking her head, Juri trudged forward to her master bedroom door. Before she went inside, she shot a glance at her personal doll. She experimented with the doll last night to see just what they were capable of doing. It could do everything that it was trained to do, and in the case of März, the purple-haired doll trained in information and recon, other menial tasks.

Acting eluded them. A doll could not utilize the basic human emotions such as happiness, sadness, or surprise. Anger and contempt they could grasp, but only when fighting. They always held stoic faces; not even pain could bring a scowl to their lips. Pleasure couldn't move them either, even though Juri tried. Rubs and touches had no effect on März, much to the leader's chagrin.

'_What's the point of playing with them if they don't react to me?' _she thought.

She shrugged and closed the door, entering her new master bedroom. An elegant 4-poster bed with velvet red sheets was the centerpiece of the room. Near it were two mahogany end tables, filled with Juri's memorabilia and drawing materials. The leather-bound notebook-sized object that Juri looked at on Wednesday rested against an alarm clock, still locked. If a key wasn't around, she wouldn't waste her time on it.

A large mirror was attached to the far wall near an equally large wardrobe. Once again, Jarvis had hung her Taekwondo outfit on the wardrobe, which Juri took and quickly put on. She couldn't stand to wear the same thing every day like that Ryu person, but she did like alternating her outfits. Something new one day, then her familiar outfit the next. Juri loved her outfit so much that an order was placed to create a copy of her outfit, only in a darker tone.

With her outfit on, Juri stood in front of the mirror and tended to her hair, putting it in an old style: a high ponytail. This was the style she used to use in her early years in S.I.N. When the Feng Shui Engine was inserted into her left eye socket, the power that resulted from it horrified many of her victims. If they called her a monster- which many did-, then Juri would pick an outfit and hairstyle that would make her worthy of that title. Thus, the horn-style was created.

She fastened a purple ring around the ponytail and moved to the door. Along the way she stopped at a small black metal safe. A painting was propped up against the wall on the floor; usually it would be covering the safe. Juri slowly turned the dial on the safe clockwise, then counterclockwise, then clockwise again on certain notches. The door clicked open, revealing that the safe was in fact a cooler for drinks.

There was not a large selection of alcoholic beverages readily available. Seth didn't drink, and if he did, it was during accomplishments, which were few. Four bottles of well-aged red wine clung to the right inside wall, one bottle freshly opened from the day before. Deciding against a drink in the morning, Juri closed the safe and headed out.

März, as ordered, did not salute her master. She did click her heels together, earning herself a glare. Juri beckoned with her hand for her to follow and proceeded out of her quarters with the doll in tow. The guards on either side of the door saluted quickly as they saw their leader exit. She didn't look at them nor acknowledge their presence again.

The guards in the S.I.N. facility were surprisingly competent; the security chief and her predecessors had done wonders training them to protect and serve high value targets. Almost every guard was armed with an Ak-47 assault rifle, a reliable handgun, and a knife for bad situations. Bulletproof vests were handed out to higher ranks and the guards on the ground level, just in case the facility was breached.

Only once had the facility been breached. Years ago, a USAF soldier by the name of Charlie Nash foolishly barged into the facility while it was in its early years. He managed to get his hands on many important files and release a sentient prototype of Seth, known as Abel. The man without a past escaped, but his savior was captured and interrogated. Once he proved to be of no further use alive, his dead body was exploited by a newly created Seth. The data on Charlie's fighting style and projectiles were used for 15's own benefit, and the start of the BLECE project. How ironic it was that the soldier, a man who would stop at nothing to prevent such power from being used against mankind, would play a large part in its development.

'_Wish I could have been there for the interrogation, I bet he lasted long…'_

Juri looked behind herself to ascertain the doll was still following. Of course she was; she was ordered to anyway. Looking down to her black and purple breastplate, Juri gave a disgusted sigh. Her breastplate had a nasty habit of separating her breasts from each other; showing an ungodly amount of cleavage and making it seem that they would roll out the sides of the piece of clothing at any moment. It had never happened to her yet, but, to be safe, Juri reached under her breastplate and gently re-arranged her dirty pillows.

Preoccupied with taking care of her problem, Juri failed to notice the sounds of loafers and combat boots turn a corner and stop in front of her. She bumped into someone with a bare chest and frowned, pulling her hands out from under her breastplate. Vega was looking down at her with half-closed eyes and a smirk. His white mask was held in one hand while a scrap of paper was held in the other. A three-bladed claw dangled from a belt attached to his waist, gleaming in the lights of the corridor.

"Are you having trouble with your attire, my dear?" he cooed. "Believe me when I say you look just as beautiful with it on as you do with it off." His eyes had a hint of lust as he continued to speak. "I have yet to see you with it off, though. Perhaps your beauty is increased when you are not held back by synthetic coverings?"

"Oh Vega," Juri said with a smile and narrowed eyes, "you certainly love to pop in unannounced and flirt without holding back, don't you?"

"Indeed. There are no restraints to prevent me from doing so, other than you."

Stepping out from behind Vega, Decapre took a stand at his side. Blank, unfeeling eyes looked out from red slits in a black mask that rested on her face. A mask was just what Juri wanted for the woman, as she couldn't stand to look at that pigtailed doll without thinking of the Delta Red operative. Like Vega, Decapre used claws, holding a set in each hand.

"I know you're looking forward to that 'overtime' I talked about, and I am too. However, I don't have time for that today. I have work to do, and you have your new quarters to move into." She gestured to the scrap of paper in Vega's hands. "The quartermaster gave you my password, right?"

"Geomi," he replied. "It must mean something in your language."

"It does." Juri shifted to one side and folded her arms under her chest. "So, how was the mission?"

"Everything was flawlessly executed. Every scientist was tracked down and ousted. Like you said, that Viper woman knows how to get things done. The remnants of Shadaloo will no longer trouble you, Juri, for there are none left."

"I wouldn't say that," Juri said with a grin. "You and Balrog are the last two, but now you're working for S.I.N." She raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of which, how well do you really know Balrog?"

"Other than being repugnantly ugly and greedy? Not well, my dear. His business is none of my affair, and I do not wish to know what goes through my ugly friend's head. Yes, we were partners for many years, and yes, we trust each other, but make no mistake: once our partnership ends, there is nothing to stop me from driving my claw through his torso."

Juri chuckled.

"Well, you'll just have to suck it up and keep working with him. I'll have him help out the security chief while you can take care of these dolls, just like you used to do for Bison."

"Ah yes, the dolls. I wish to thank you for reuniting me with Decapre." He ran his fingers along the length of Decapre's arm slowly, who did not react to the touch. "She is the perfect blend of beauty and beast. The beauty is in the skin, and the beast is in the soul."

Unfolding her arms, Juri touched her chin with her fingers.

"You know, I bet there's some ulterior motive you have for cooperating with me, isn't there? I don't expect you to be this chivalrous and flirtatious without wanting anything in return."

"Well, other than you," he said with an air of lust, "I am interested in the idea of S.I.N. creating bodies. If scientists can make a body as ugly as 15, they could make a body as beautiful as me."

"I always hear you talk about beauty…" Juri shook her head. "You'll love anything that's beautiful, don't you? What if you come across a beautiful man; what then?"

"There is no man alive that is as beautiful as I, my dear. But if such a thing were to happen, that there was a man as beautiful as I… Well, I would treat him as I would a beautiful woman." He frowned. "Or I would kill him."

"Ha, you would…" She dropped her arms and removed her smile, getting back in her business attitude. "Anyway, I hope you'll make the best out of my old quarters. If you see Viper, tell her to meet me in my study."

"I will." He maneuvered around Juri and spoke softly over his shoulder as he passed. "Have a pleasant day, my dear."

* * *

><p>"Alright, and that goes there… No! Damn it!" Juri stomped her foot on the floor in Seth's study, a calculator in her right hand. "That's not right either!"<p>

Sighing, Juri tossed the calculator on the large ornate desk behind her and rubbed her temples. In front of her was the one-way window to look out of the facility, converted to show a computer screen on each of the nine panes. Hundreds of pieces of data littered every screen, bombarding Juri with needless information. All she needed to clear that was one simple number, but the answer to the problem eluded her.

'_I have to admit, I was expecting a day like this, but not so soon…'_

"And men say women are bad at math…" Juri turned her head to look at the crimson-haired agent behind her. "Nah, just you."

"Oh shut up," Juri bitterly replied. "Like you could do better?"

Viper smirked and went around the desk. She took off her yellow tinted shades and gazed at the screens, using her finger to point out things for herself. Sounds of a bare foot tapping on the stone floor and the beeping of the computer screens didn't faze Viper in the slightest. After a few minutes of thinking, she turned around to face the Korean leader.

"35. Where's the keyboard?"

Juri raised her eyebrows and looked at the screen, then back at Viper.

"It's uh… it's underneath the desk."

She gestured to the desk and watched as Viper pulled out the wireless keyboard. The agent approached the screens and watched as they arranged themselves to show an empty spot in the bottom middle slot. Within the bottom middle slot was a flashing vertical line above a few solid horizontal ones. Viper typed in her answer and watched with smug glee as the strands of data disappeared from the screens.

"There you go. That'll keep Richard in data management off your back."

"Yeah," Juri scoffed, taking the keyboard away, "for awhile." She dropped the keyboard on the desk and fell back into the black leather office chair while Viper politely moved to get in front of the desk. "Thanks for the help Crimmy, glad you finally decided to stop by."

"Well you know me," Viper said with a smile, "I'm a helper. I wouldn't expect to see you up here though; the computer in Seth's quarters can't play Starcraft?"

"You bitch," Juri muttered with a grin. "Anyway, how did it go over there in America?"

Viper straightened her posture and stuck her shades in a pocket of her battlesuit.

"We decided with a covert approach. Vega and Balrog walked back into the arms of Shadaloo nonchalantly like nothing ever happened. I stayed in the shadows of the base, waiting for Balrog to make his moves on the scientists. When he did, I stepped out and assisted him. My first mission in Germany was much harder than this. This was a cakewalk."

"I bet it was. It's so easy to take someone out when they're inside a building. You cut off their escape and watch as they slowly get routed." Juri's eyes flashed for a second, looking up at Viper. "Any setbacks I should know about?"

"None. The operation just took awhile to set up, then to execute, then to finish. We spent a few hours patrolling the base, just to make sure we got everyone." Viper grinned. "Oh, where you hoping for that Interpol detective? Sorry Juri, she wasn't anywhere in America at the time."

"I'm glad you didn't run into her, or else you would have killed her." Licking her lips, Juri grinned. "I want that China doll all to myself."

"I bet you do… What do you see in that girl?

"She's got a fantastic body Viper," Juri said with a sigh of longing. "Beautiful auburn hair and cute little hair buns, thick, juicy thighs, and the best pair of breasts I've ever seen in my life… In fact, they're bigger than your big melons."

"I know," Viper said with a frown. "I've seen them myself."

"And you didn't want to reach out and-"

Viper raised her left hand and removed her shock glove. A small cord ran from deep inside her suit, through her sleeve, and into her glove, supplying it with the volts and shockwaves it needed to be deadly. Letting the glove hang from her sleeve, she stuck her hand out and wiggled her pinky finger.

On it was a silver wedding band, decorated with an engraving of some kind.

"Unlike you, I prefer the feel of a man, Juri."

"Oh right," Juri sighed, rolling her eyes, "you're a married woman. You know, you never talk about your husband, Viper."

"And why should I? He stopped loving me long ago."

"He divorced you?" Juri frowned. "When was this?"

"Six years ago."

"What a dick, leaving you behind with your new kid. Well, no harm done, your kid seems fine with calling you all the time, so she seems alright."

Viper narrowed her eyes at Juri, but instead of retaliating, she turned her attention to her apparel. She took her time putting her left glove back on over her ring and readjusting the conditions on her suit. Inside the black jacket that she wore was a small pocket computer that monitored the power levels of her covert weapons. The wires running from it through the jacket and black pants formed her battlesuit.

"Oh, I forgot to ask: what did Vega do?"

"Vega had the tougher targets, and that one woman." A corner of her lip turned up in a smirk. "Took him half an hour to finish her off!"

"Oooh… He can last that long?" Juri's eyes flashed with lust for a second. "Good to know."

"What's this? You're attracted to men too?"

"I'm not content with just one gender, Viper. It's much more interesting when you've got both men and women to excite you."

Viper's expression softened, bringing a look of sincerity to her face.

"I've warned you before, and I'll warn you again: Don't get too close to Vega. He's a lady killer, figuratively speaking but also literally. You may be the 'black widow spider', but that won't stop him from pursuing you."

Juri sneered and folded her hands.

"Aren't you just jealous that he's going after me and not you?"

"Not at all, I'm just looking out for my friend. Why do you think he's going after you?"

"Maybe because I'm the only Asian in this place with boobs?"

"You've hit the nail on the head there. All he wants is your body, nothing more."

The sound of the computer screens beeping to indicate a message stopped Juri from making a retort. Sighing, she swiveled her chair around to look at the screen, then she turned back to look at Viper.

"Well, thanks for the heads-up Crimmy, but I've got work to do."

She turned back to face the screens as Viper nodded.

"As do I…"

* * *

><p>By the time the sun disappeared over the edge of the horizon, Juri had finished checking and revising all reports sent to her. The computer screens faded away into the nine paned window from before, allowing the remaining light from outside to slowly filter in. All was quiet, as it should be. Too much beeping and too many footsteps threatened to drive her insane, so Juri was thankful for the silence.<p>

Hums from machines and lights greeted her when she stepped out from her study. The guards on either side of the doors snapped their heels together and groggily looked forward in her presence. Once again, they were ignored, but the guards were content with being ignored by her. If Juri paid attention to a guard, it usually meant he or she was going to get seriously injured. Maybe killed, but only if they were unlucky- or lucky, depending on how one looks at it- enough.

März followed her master closely, a small stack of folders in her arms. Juri quickly took to using her as an emotionless secretary and, if need be, a pack mule. The two of them walked the corridors of the ground floor and into the stairwell down to the lower floors. After descending a couple floors, Juri went into a dimly lit corridor while her doll continued to walk down the stairs. The doll's task was to deposit the folders in the leader's quarters and await her return.

Juri had an appointment with Satoya Yasutoki to install an upgrade to her Feng Shui Engine. It would fully bind her to the brainwashed dolls, allowing Juri to call on them with a simple command, monitor their status, and pinpoint their locations. The corridor Juri walked down was empty at this time; most of Satoya's team was busy taking care of themselves, eager to sleep in their quarters. Only a small team of men and women were still by Satoya's side, willing to work well into the night.

A door opened down the hall to show a small team of scientists leaving in their white hazmat suits. One scientist had a red suit on and a clipboard in his hands. He turned to walk in the same direction as Juri while his colleagues went in the other direction. The red suits showed others that the one wearing it was tasked with the more dangerous or challenging scientific tasks, which was fitting, since the ones who wore those suits were apprentices or assistants to their project heads.

This man was Satoya's assistant, a bright biologist from New Zeeland. Since he already had one, Satoya turned down Juri's offer of a doll for an assistant. The assistant walked as calmly as he could down the corridor with the leader of S.I.N. following him. Even though Juri could not see his expression through the black visor of the hazmat suit's headpiece, she could sense that he was tense and a little frightened of her presence. She smiled at his discomfort.

Soon, the two reached a set of large double doors shaped like a yin-yang symbol. The assistant worked on a nearby datapad while Juri impatiently tapped her foot. She could have used her eye to open it, but she felt like making someone else do all the work at the time. The door would have opened automatically once it sensed someone willing to enter, but since this area was of high security clearance, it required a passcode, keycard, or a retinal scan. After a few seconds, the doors slid open to reveal the Feng Shui Engine creation and maintenance room.

One thing Juri noticed about the room whenever she entered was that it was always poorly lit. There were no lamps to brighten the room, only the glow from security lights, switches, and computer screens. Large wires could be seen running along the length of the ceiling and out into what seemed like an abyss at the far end of the room. Large blue computer screens jutted out from the wall to her right, filled with data streams and information.

The main attraction of the room was not the tall screens, but a large, complex machine that took up nearly half of the room. It was long and wide, with a walkway along the side for another work station. At the end of the machine was a large sphere with another image of the yin-yang symbol. The yin side in the image was peculiar in that the white dot that usually rested in it was a window, which showed the glowing orange insides of the machine.

This was the machine that gave her the Feng Shui Engine.

Juri walked forward and stood near a console with scientists working on it. The assistant took a spot at the console and started to type on the large keyboard, prompting one of the two smaller screens below the largest one in front of him to change their displays from blue backgrounds to live video footage of the insides of the FSE maintenance sphere. A clap of hands from behind attracted Juri's attention, turning her around.

"There you are," Satoya said, readjusting his glasses in the blue glow of the computer. "We've been awaiting your arrival for quite some time now."

"Well, if I hadn't been assaulted with paperwork and your problems, I would be here earlier," Juri grumbled with a wave of her hand. "There's hardly any time left in the day to play anymore…"

"I am sorry to hear of your loss of free time, Ma'am, but sacrifices must be made in order to progress. Even _he _knew that."

"Pfft, whatever." She leaned over backwards to rest against the console, unknowingly hiding a few keys from the assistant. "Fire up the rig. I wanna get this new feature for my toy in right away."

"As you wish, Ma'am," he said with a smile.

With a nod from Satoya, the red-suited assistant began imputing commands into the console while Juri stepped forward to stand in front of the FSE maintenance sphere. Mechanical hissing and steam erupted from the sphere as it slowly parted to reveal half a cylindrical pod big enough for one person to fit in. Inside the pod were pieces of secured but exposed wiring, metal green pads, and a view into the interior of the main machine.

Juri grinned and looked to Satoya, then to the machine. Her bare feet sauntered across the floor and reached the warm metal of the sphere's interior flooring. As she stepped inside, Satoya muttered softly to himself, his smile fading away.

"That's a good girl."

Inside, Juri took a few more steps until she stood within the cylindrical pod. She pressed against the green pads, wishing that they were padded instead of metal. The sphere closed in on Juri, locking her inside until the upgrade was complete. Whirring noises were heard from above, accompanied by a large visor slowly coming down from inside the cylinder to rest in front of Juri's eyes.

This visor was the part of the machine that performed maintenance and installed upgrades. When Juri first saw it, a handful of tools were located in the inside of the contraption, along with the Feng Shui Engine in the left area. It was a mildly painful experience getting the eye implanted, and getting used to the eye was a challenge. Already her left eye began to twitch at the memory of the pain she endured.

'_It was so worth it though…'_

Lights flashed on the visor, and a reticule appeared in the left side. The visor approached Juri's eyes, slow and steady as it always was. Nothing was out of place, but yet, something was new. A small tube that wasn't there before was hidden with the energy-supplying cords, catching Juri's eye. Just as soon as she saw it did the black tube emit a puff of white gas in her face.

Immediately she coughed and widened her eyes.

'_What the hell?'_

The tube released another puff of gas in her face, driving Juri to realize just what was happening: this wasn't an upgrade, this was an assassination attempt! Quickly she gripped the visor and yanked hard on it, ripping it from its wired rig. That was a mistake, as the tube broke off and began leaking a continuous stream of gas into the sphere. Overcome by a fit of coughing, Juri dropped the broken visor to the floor of the sphere and brought her hand to her mouth.

Baring her teeth, she looked out of the sphere at the scientists. Satoya was watching calmly while his team continued to monitor her status. He had this planed for some time, ever since Juri unrightfully took the position of leader. He was far more qualified for the position than she was, and the only way to get the position was to do as Juri did: kill the current leader. Juri rushed to the window and brought her fist forward to impact upon the material.

Pain shot through her left hand. This wasn't regular glass, this was bulletproof! The sphere was made of metal which was highly resistant to damage. Her attacks would not even lay a dent in it. Already the gas that Satoya snuck into the sphere began to take its toll on Juri. Her movements slowed down significantly, making it hard to lift her legs to move.

"Satoya," Juri yelled as she held her hand, "you're dead! You hear me? I'm going to fucking kill you for this!"

Her eyelids began to grow heavy as she threatened the scientist. Realizing that breathing in the hazy sphere would knock her out, Juri held her remaining breath in and brought her fingers to the crease between the two yin-yang halves. Try as she did, she lacked the strength needed to pry the door open, or to destroy the bulletproof window.

'_I'm going to kill him… I'm going to rip out his goddamned heart and feed it to his little bastard of an assistant!' _

Her actions became more and more lethargic over time. Muscles cried out for rest. Hands fell from the door. Legs became numb. Juri compulsively breathed in through her nose, drawing in more of the gas. Every little action needed a herculean effort from her, but now, she felt exhausted.

'_No… this can't be the end… I n-need to keep fighting, I need to s-survive…'_

She felt so tired. She moaned softly as her legs gave way, forcing her to her knees. Satoya and his team heard a satisfying dull thunk as Juri's body pressed up against the inside of the sphere. Vision became bleary; even the eye couldn't help her see through the darkness that appeared in the corners of her vision. Slowly her body sank from its position on her knees to the warm metal flooring of the sphere.

'_C-can't… believe… thi…'_

This was the end for her, and she knew it. The scientists would not gas her unless they wanted her dead, and in her condition, she might as well already be dead. Her eyes began to slowly roll up into the back of her head, signaling the eyelids to finally close over them. But yet, even when entering the state of unconsciousness, Juri's last action was to use her eye.

A shrill screech announced the activation of the Feng Shui Engine. The scientists outside watched as a screen changed to show the data from the activation. Energy poured into Juri, but it was too late for her. What could the eye do now? Its wielder was incapacitated, not even the Feng Shui Engine could rescue her mind from the depths of unconsciousness.

Meanwhile, outside the sphere, the scientists silently watched the spectacle. The red-suited assistant drifted over to Satoya with a glass syringe filled with a dark substance. Satoya took the tool and inspected it, tapping his finger against the needle. This was a dose of highly potent poison, capable of quickly killing a man in minutes. The Korean Spider would be killed swiftly and efficiently, and then be forgotten.

"Sir," one of the scientists at the console shouted. "You might want to take a look at this…"

Satoya pocketed the syringe and went to the scientist. He followed his finger to look at where he was pointing. The screen that tracked the energy and data from the Feng Shui Engine flashed red, signifying a problem with the vitals of Juri. This was to be expected, as the eye could not work without a conscious operator. However, the fact that the eye was continuing to pour energy into her body was strange…

"The eye should deactivate on its own soon. Give it some time before it does; we don't want to touch her with her energy flowing," Satoya muttered as he looked to the FSE sphere. "Let's put this devil in the ground and be done with it."

The sphere remained shut, keeping Juri locked inside. Knockout gas began to dissipate, no longer able to incapacitate a target. The circular window in the yin side of the sphere showed Satoya that everything was satisfactory within. Juri would be completely at the mercy of the awaiting scientists, who were not merciful at all.

Suddenly, a small trickle of Juri's ki energy seeped out from the cracks between the sphere's two door halves. It slowly crept forward a few feet along the floor like an early morning fog, serving to unnerve Satoya. He winced at the sight and looked to the window. More of Juri's energy was seen inside, steadily generating and rising. In just a few seconds, the orange glow of the machine was lost in the purple of Juri's ki.

"Sir!"

Satoya turned his head to stare at the FSE energy screen and gasped. The gauges that tracked Juri's power were literally off the charts, shooting up into the top of the screen. Numbers that gave more meaning to the gauges were maxed out at their highest digits. This had happened before in North America when Crimson Viper and her team provoked the karateman Ryu to utilize the Satsui No Hado. Data recording machines were lost when he retaliated, but, according to stories told by the surviving scientists, the Satsui No Hado produced the same results that Satoya was looking at.

Through all the beeping and whirring, the sound of the Feng Shui Engine reached Satoya's ears. It was low at first, as it usually was when used in the field, but then it slowly intensified. He watched as Juri's ki energy retreated back into the sphere at twice the speed as it had exited. The energy in the window moved and swirled around as another sound emerged, one that mimicked suction. It was as if a small vacuum was present within.

Another scientist tugged at Satoya, bringing his attention back to the screen. Things had gotten much more hectic, doing little to calm the scientists. Messages obscured the screen, warning against taking action against the wielder of the eye. Satoya attempted to type in commands to clear some of the messages, but to no avail. The screen continued to blare and flash.

Suddenly, the suction sound stopped, and the screen became normal again. Satoya breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that the color of the screen went back to its usual purple color with a normal image of Juri's eye. His sigh was cut short when he saw the gauges, which were all touching the top of the screen. Every number, every digit was the same: zero. When he snapped his head back to look at the sphere, his heart skipped a beat.

In a demonic purple light, the sphere exploded, showering the scientists with shrapnel. Many of them had their suits cut into, and a few were cut down when the metal pieces pierced their hearts. Satoya fell over from the blast and landed on his side. He heard a crunch in his pocket and widened his eyes, knowing that he put the glass syringe filled with poison in there. The glass shards did not cut into him, but the poison dripped out of his pocket, ruining his plan of killing Juri via injection.

Scientists scrambled to their feet and tried desperately to move away from the fire that resulted from the explosion. Others lent their hands to their fallen comrades, helping them back up to their feet. Satoya reached for a hand held in front of him and grabbed on, allowing himself to be lifted up. As he was helped, he noticed that within the flames of the destroyed sphere was a lone figure. The figure staggered out from the flames with its head down, moving almost like an undead monster from an old horror movie.

But it wasn't a monster, it was much worse. It was Juri Han, alive.

Her energy flowed around her like cherry blossoms in winter, only instead of symbolizing life, this energy of hers promised death for the scientists. The eye glowed its demonic purple color with a brightness so intense it could very well be blinding. Her stance was wide, with hands out and fingers spread apart, resembling claws. Even though her stance was threatening and her ki deadly, she wore no expression.

She swung her arm forward and released a torrent of her energy at the scientists at the console, killing most of them in the resulting explosion. Sparks flew from the destroyed machine and bodies crumpled to the floor. Juri pressed on at a labored pace, advancing slowly towards Satoya.

His assistant was lying in her path, hand pressed up against his side to stop the flow of blood from escaping a fresh wound caused by the shrapnel. He tried to get to his feet, but another explosion sent him to his back. Juri approached him and lifted her leg up high to bring it down on his body. She crushed his ribs without mercy and walked over him, leaving him to slowly bleed out.

Satoya turned and ran to the double doors out of the room, but was stopped when Juri used her energy to destroy a large computer screen over the exit. The damage inflicted by her ki caused the screen to erupt in flames, blocking the exit entirely. He turned back around and backpedaled at the same speed as Juri advanced. A tall scientist ran at her from her blindside, hoping to assist his superior by tackling her.

The man was rather large to be in a hazmat suit, but when he collided with Juri's left side, the force was enough to move her. To his astonishment, he didn't topple her or make her stagger. All he did was move her, but Juri's calm, emotionless stance convinced him otherwise. She turned her head in his direction and forcefully planted her elbow in his stomach with a screech from her eye, keeling him over.

Juri backed away from the man and spun around, ramming her left foot into his ribs. The ki energy that swirled around her ran down her leg and jumped through her foot into the man's stomach. After a second of silence, the purple energy blasted through the man's back in a grand funnel-shaped fashion. The man flew back from the force of the attack and into a steel support beam in the wall, killing him on impact.

Muttering his condolences to the deceased, Satoya took Juri's diverted attention as a blessing, running past her to get to the walkway along the left side of the FSE machine. Juri turned to follow, but was halted when someone grabbed her leg. The white gloved hand that held onto her leg belonged to Satoya's red-suited assistant, who was barely hanging on to his own life. The Korean crushed the man's hand, and then she raised her foot high again to bring it forcefully down on his head.

In that time, one of the remaining two scientists reached underneath her work station just as Satoya brushed past her. She pulled out a guard's handgun and handed it to her comrade who, having more skill with firearms, checked the magazine. Within were six 9mm cartridges. The man loaded the handgun and aimed it at the leader walking towards them in her quest to reach Satoya.

The scientist without the gun stood near her coworker as he fired four shots in rapid succession. Bullets whizzed towards their target, but, before they could perforate her, Juri raised her right hand. Her ki prevented the lead fragments from touching her, stopping them in midair just a few inches from her hand. It was this sight that prompted the gun wielding man to shake his hands, to slowly bring his firearm up to his head. Juri took action before the man could take his own life and reflected his bullets back at him and his friend.

One bullet grazed Satoya's arm, another lodged itself deep within the gunman's head, another pinged against the metal flooring, and the final one ripped through the female scientist's leg. Satoya clutched his arm and gritted his teeth in pain as the gunman's body fell backwards. Juri approached the last remaining scientist, who was holding her leg in pain, and swung her right leg at her in a roundhouse kick, sending the unfortunate soul over a railing and into the dark abyss of the area. Despite the screams that came from the woman, Juri's expression never changed into a sadistic one.

Satoya managed to reach a safety station at the end of the walkway. He typed in a command to manually start the sprinkler systems in the room, as the fire detector was damaged when the sphere exploded from that devil's ki. The sprinklers would put out the fire in front of the exit, allowing him to finally escape. He could feel the soothing sensation of water on his person once the sprinklers activated. He heard footsteps behind him and dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding Juri's clenched fist as it smashed into the computer console.

He fell to his side and watched as Juri attempted to remove her fist from the tangled metal. Taking a chance, Satoya reached into his pocket and grabbed the largest piece of glass from the broken syringe. It was soaked in poison still, and he was lucky he didn't cut himself with it. He thrust the piece of glass forcefully into Juri's leg and quickly got to his feet to flee.

Juri did not react to the pain in her leg, nor did she acknowledge the feeling of her blood leaving her. She turned and watched as Satoya ran back to the main area with the destroyed sphere, but she did not pursue. The med-tech head leaned over and panted as he waited for the water to fully douse the flames of the destroyed obstacles. He looked over his shoulder back at the walkway, finding that Juri was not where he left her.

When he turned back to stare at the fire, his view was blocked by Juri's back. He gave a frightened yell and took a step back to flee again, but Juri whirled around in the blink of an eye and grabbed his throat with her left hand. She slowly lifted Satoya off his feet so she was looking up at him. Satoya was trying desperately to remove her hand from his throat, but to no avail. Her grip was strong and merciless.

It was here where Satoya finally got a good look at Juri. The Feng Shui Engine's power was as intense as ever, and within the glow and vapors of her ki energy, Satoya could see that it was fixed on him. There was no emotion in her eyes, no expression on her face. If his throat wasn't constricted, he would gasp at her right eye. Blank space inhabited her right eye socket, giving her the impression of being possessed.

Then it made sense to Satoya. Juri was incapacitated from the knockout gas, and the sudden activation of her eye could not rescue her mind from the pits of unconsciousness. The eye did not have a mind to drive it, thus, it turned to her last subconscious thoughts for direction. Juri desired for survival and revenge, and the eye acted to fulfill those wishes.

A small purple flame sparked in Juri's right hand. She reached forward to touch the left side of Satoya's chest, where his heart was. There would be no escaping her next attack. Her hand engulfed the purple flame in a fist and pulled back slowly, increasing the amount of ki energy that swirled around it. Satoya, from his elevated position, realized that this attack was attempted on the Chinese Interpol agent two weeks ago, but the eye malfunctioned before she could end her life.

It was with deep regret that he remembered that he perfected the eye to never malfunction again.

Juri thrust forward her fist, burying it deep into Satoya's chest. His flesh and bones gave way to the foreign object easily. Her fist exited out his back in a spurt of blood and purple ki, driving Satoya to uncontrollable spasms of pain. She unclenched her fist and pulled back, spreading her fingers to rip open the arteries of his heart. Blood covered her hand and upper arm like one of her long gloves while Satoya's lab coat took on the same color as the red cross stitched to his shoulder.

Silence set between the two entities, uncaring of the surrounding fires and destruction. Satoya's eyes rolled back into his head, which was still held by Juri's left hand. In time, Juri released her grip on the throat of the deceased and watched as the body crumpled to the floor. Water from the sprinklers washed the blood from Juri's hands and slowly managed to put the fire in front of the exit out.

Blood that seeped from her wounded leg began to clot around the piece of glass lodged in there. Poison ran through her veins, and, as an insult to Satoya, so did her ki. The eye eradicated all traces of the foreign substance from Juri's body when it absorbed the remaining ki energy that continued to swirl around her. The eye could find no other threats in its presence, and the area was now safe.

The eye deactivated itself, sending Juri falling to the floor.

* * *

><p>The red-headed woman worked quickly, producing a needle from her white medical bag. Her red gloved hands removed the cap from the needle and held it above her master's thigh. Her master had suffered from a wound and fell unconscious, and, as she specialized in being a medic, Aprile was there to revive her. She stabbed into her leg and injected the substance into the woman's body, filling her with adrenaline.<p>

In an instant Juri opened her eyes and gasped for air. She could feel her body being lifted up into a sitting position by a human, and then she felt her arm being gripped tightly. Her personal doll, März, was holding her up with a hand up against her back while Aprile checked her arms for cuts. All of the dolls sensed that their master was in need of assistance and rushed to her aid. Février stood nearby with a handgun in her hands, looking over the magazine intently. Without a nod or expression of approval, the doll clicked the magazine back into the handgun and deposited it in her holster.

Juri looked up at the room she was in and frowned, seeing all the destruction. She remembered Satoya's betrayal when he filled the sphere with gas, and she recalled the sense of helplessness as she succumbed to the knockout gas. She never wanted to feel that weak again. A screen on the far wall glowed a dull purple above the partially destroyed console, replaying recent footage repeatedly as it had been doing for an hour. Juri tried to move to get a closer look but was stopped when she felt a stinging pain in her leg.

Aprile touched her master and brought her attention to the shard of glass in her leg.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Juri hissed. "Get it out!"

The medic gripped the shard and pulled, easily liberating it from its fleshy prison. Juri looked away from the sight and focused on the still functional screen. Whenever the eye was activated, the scientists back at S.I.N. were treated to recorded footage that showed whatever it was Juri saw. On the screen Juri saw her hands and feet cutting down scientists and destroying the area around her. The reticule of the eye was almost always centered on an image of Satoya.

When she saw that she had rammed her fist through his chest, Juri raised her right hand to her face. Blood that wasn't hers hid underneath her fingernails like dirt after a day of toiling in fields. Aprile rolled up Juri's trousers to apply bandages to her wounded leg while she continued to stare at her hand. The blood on her hands disgusted her, but it also frightened her. The power she was capable of drove her to take the lives of many men and women today.

There would be much to do tomorrow. Words will need to be said to calm the employees, threats will have to be made towards the remaining scientists of Satoya's team, and positions will have to be filled. Even in death Satoya managed to anger Juri.

'_Well,' _Juri thought as her dolls lifted her to her feet, _'there are a few less suckers in this world to worry about now.'_


	6. Day 5

**Day 5 – Sunday: Clashing Venom, Unlocked Emotions**

* * *

><p>Word got out quickly yesterday night, and by morning, every member of S.I.N. had heard of Juri's destructive rampage. People had seen the destruction of the Feng Shui Engine room after Juri limped out and retreated to her quarters. Cameras were destroyed, and Juri's victims could not retell the event in their irreversible state. The members did not witness the slaughter with their own eyes, but that didn't stop them from speculating the cause of the incident.<p>

Rumors spread about the leader, making her out to be more cruel, psychotic, and insane than she normally was. She was definitely cruel and a tad psychotic, but not insane. An insane woman would not have possibly survived to the age of 25 in S.I.N., nor would she have succeeded in taking over the organization. Despite that she didn't view herself as insane, Juri worked to make members perceive the rumors as facts instead of fiction.

She spoke harshly of Satoya when she met with the project heads, knowing that they always relayed information down to the men and women under them. To make them think twice about trying to take her life, she explained in detail what happened in the FSE room, taking care to exaggerate many things. In her version, she had always hated Satoya and had waited for the perfect opportunity to strike him down. The fact that the eye acted on her thoughts and used her body to massacre every scientist in the room was left out, as it would be much more terrifying if Juri killed them in cold retaliation and tortured Satoya before brutally killing him.

That was what Juri was aiming for: terror. Odds were that if one small group wanted her dead, there would be others waiting for their chance. Intimidation works wonders where diplomacy fails, and, with Juri in command, any wrong move could be met with a swift demise. She needed to be feared, she needed to strike fear into the hearts of men to prevent them from trying anything again. Some would call her paranoid, and they would be somewhat right.

Paranoia: a thought process believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of irrationality and delusion. According to popular belief, a person can be driven to the point of paranoia from a traumatic event, rendering him or her to a state of hostility and distrust towards any he or she regards as a threat. But to Juri, the woman who went through a bizarre assassination attempt, she wasn't being irrational or delusional. She was just being careful.

And being careful brought her to stand over a frightened young scientist as she slowly twisted his hand despite his screams of protest.

"Ma'am! Please!" he cried, trying to bring sense back into his leader's mind. "I didn't do anything!"

This scientist was part of Satoya's team and would be taking his position soon. If it were calmer times, he would have been honored to receive Satoya's position after his resignation or peaceful demise, but it was not calmer times. Knowing that he gained his status after his leader callously murdered him, the young scientist was frightened when she approached him, grinning maliciously when she informed him of his new status.

Juri slowly broke his hand, reveling in the tiny pops the bones made when they got out of place and his pained screams.

"That's right, you didn't do anything." She pressed on his back with her uncovered foot as the scientists in the room looked on. "I'm preventing you from doing anything. This is for your own good, by the way."

"My own go-"

She pressed in harder, crushing him between the tiles of the lab room and her foot.

"Shhh… Yes, for your own good. We wouldn't want you running around, thinking up ways to kill me now, do we? That would be hazardous to your health!" Looking to the scientists in the room, she continued. "Am I right?"

The scientists stared at her. When her expression changed from smug to a look of contempt, they quickly nodded. The hazmat suits and their black visors couldn't hide their fear and discomfort. Juri looked back to the new Med-tech head, calmly rubbing his broken hand.

"One of the perks of being a doctor is that you know how to take care of yourself and others. Just put your hand in a cast and get back to work."

When she looked back at the scientists, she found they were all staring at the foot on the project head. Part of her wanted to smile, as she figured they did not want to feel the power from a blow, but another part made her want to scowl. She presumed that anyone who stared at her feet had a foot fetish, which, in her opinion, was completely stupid.

_'My eyes are up here, as are my breasts.' _Juri removed her foot from the writhing body and sneered. "All of you get back to work! Make sure your project head gives me a full report on the damage in the Feng Shui Engine room by the evening or I'll start picking out names at random!"

Most of the men and women gulped and turned around to get back to their workstations. Some of them moved up to the new head and helped him to his feet, allowing him to cast a wounded look at Juri's back, where the spider-like design of her breastplate was prominent. The web of her influence was strong and could ensnare any member who was careless enough. She offered them no leniency, thinking that if she did, they would turn against her just like Satoya had.

A younger scientist waited near the exit of the lab with a folder, stuffed full with documents. He slowly extended his arm to present the folder to his leader, trying as hard as he could to quell the nervous shaking of his hand. Juri reached forward with her right hand, covered in her purple, fingerless fighting glove, and grabbed the folder. Quickly the scientist released the folder and suppressed a gasp at the sight of her purple fingernails, which still held the blood of Satoya underneath.

She was wearing the same exact outfit as she was yesterday, only with her fighting gloves and spiked bracelets attached. The sprinkler systems washed the blood away last night, so she figured it was fine to wear her outfit again. Just to cover up any bloodstains, and to be extra intimidating, Juri picked up her black leather trenchcoat from Wednesday and added it to her appearance.

The scientist shifted to the side to allow his leader passage. After a few tiks and taks from the keypad, the nearby door opened, letting Juri leave the room. Once she got out, her calm expression changed to an exasperated one. März was waiting outside with a rather large stack of folders that demanded the leader's attention.

_'People die and labs are ruined, yet the show goes on…'_

Sighing, Juri deposited her folder on the stack in März's arms. She walked forward and mused ways to solve her problems, finding that the longer she thought about working on the documents, the more infuriated she got. She now knew how Seth felt, but for the life of her, she had no clue how he did it. Perhaps he delegated his tasks to the project heads when they were open to help. Juri couldn't trust most of the staff now, so it was up to her to get her work done.

She moved down the halls of the med-tech level with her doll trailing, reaching the elevator. Too stressed out to take the extra mile, Juri waited for the elevator to reach her floor. With all the work she has stacked for her, her personal quarters would serve as her workstation for the day. If she worked in her study, people would find her and ask her stupid questions, or so she thought. The guards could keep people away easily; it was just the location of the study that bothered her. Not enough security aboveground.

With a ding from a nearby control panel, the elevator reached her floor and opened its doors. März moved lethargically inside with Juri, who tried not to look at the stack of work in her hands again. The floor was chosen and the doors closed on the women, prompting the transporter to descend into the depths of the facility.

_'Here you go Ma'am, these are some documents we could have taken care of but we choose not to. Hope you enjoy,' _Juri thought sarcastically._ 'Oh, and if you don't get this done when we need it done, we'll pester you about it until you get it done. We don't care if you'll beat us up about it, we'll still bother you.'_

A leader was supposed to lead his/her people and tell them what to do. The people loved/feared their leader and tried to do whatever it took to please them. Right now, the roles seemed reversed. Juri had hardly any time for herself, being constantly bombarded with work that needed to be completed. It was as if the leader was the one being lead; the workers told her what to do.

"Oh who would ever want to be queen…" Juri muttered.

After a minute in the elevator, the Korean started to become impatient. Before her foot started to tap, the carriage stopped and opened up into the sleeping quarters level. The corridors were empty, save for the guards.

_'Perfect,' _she thought, glad that there would be no scientists roaming around to bother her.

She moved to her quarters and, ignoring her guards again, punched in her custom passcode. Seth's code was too much of a hassle to remember, so she created her own to replace his. The door slid into the ceiling, granting entry for the two women. Juri went inside with her doll and lead her over to the consoles, instructing her to leave the folders on a nearby desk. Once that was done, März clicked her heels together and stood at attention in front of Juri.

"Hmm?" Juri looked at her when she sat down at the desk, draping her trenchcoat over the chair. "That's all there is right now. Go do… whatever it is that you do when I'm not looking. But go do it over by the door."

März saluted her master and turned on her heel. She jogged up the steps to stand guard near the door. Her eyes briefly became unfocused as her head slowly drifted to one side. The dolls didn't do anything in their free time; they just stood around in a dazed state. This didn't mean they were to be taken lightly. Even though they looked like they were in a drunken stupor, if an enemy came along, a doll would snap back to attention and deal with the threat quickly.

Juri spread the contents of one folder across her desk and took a pen in hand. Before she actually did get to work, she turned her attention to a small transistor radio. With Satoya's death, most of his possessions were up for grabs. Being the one who killed him, Juri was the first to grab what she wanted. The radio, although old, interested her. Music wasn't allowed that much in the facility, as it was always a work environment.

She flicked a switch on the machine and was greeted with the annoying sound of static. She turned a knob and watched as a small bit of plastic slid over a few numbers behind a tiny piece of glass. Hardly any radio stations were nearby, but there was one close by that played popular American oldies. The station was found after a minute of searching and immediately the room was filled with the sounds of an old jazz tune.

Hours passed by like molasses in wintertime. It wasn't that the work wasn't challenging, it was just that there was too much of it. Juri stopped working at times and decided to complete her sketch from yesterday and color it in. She set her ink pen down and marveled at the light blue color of her character's dress and the bright yellow floral design in it. This was the first time she had drawn her 'rival', Chun-Li, and it had turned out beautifully. Of course, Juri exaggerated the breasts, but other than that, the sketch was perfectly accurate.

The nearby consoles beeped and lit up, preventing Juri from delving into perverted thoughts. A screen flashed, showing her camera footage of the outside of her quarters. Annoyed, yet thankful for the distraction, she got up from her chair and approached the console. The two guards from outside were on the screen, along with Vega. The guards had pressed a button to covertly alert the occupant inside that there was a suspicious person at the door.

Judging by the guards' stance and the fact that their fingers twitched near their holsters, they did not enjoy Vega's presence. Juri, on the other hand, was thrilled that a handsome distraction such as he presented himself. She wanted to have fun, and beating up defenseless scientists just wouldn't supply her with enough euphoria. Fighting Vega was not on her mind, and neither was it on his mind. She typed in a command to open the door from her console.

Vega smirked when he saw his entrance was granted. The guards grumbled and backed away to stand in their positions, knowing well that if they went against what Juri wanted, heads would roll. Once Vega stepped inside, the door flew down from the ceiling and into its original position, hissing as the pistons locked into place. He brushed a strand of brown hair from his face and repositioned it behind his ear with a sigh, disgusted that his face was always compliant with his beauty while his hair, golden brown marvelous, seemed to have a rebellious mind of its own.

"Yoohoo, pretty boy…" Juri cooed, her voice filling the room. "Down here."

Juri grinned when Vega came into view at the top of the steps. His attire was not comprised of his usual purple and gold trousers and brown loafers, but of neatly pressed black slacks and a white ruffled shirt. It wasn't exactly stylish, but all that mattered to Juri was that he was really wearing a shirt. Chuckling softly, she thought:

_'Ooh, I'm going to enjoy unwrapping my present.'_

She beckoned for him to come down.

"Your men do not seem to like me very much, my dear," he said in a snooty tone as he descended the small flight of stairs.

"Meh, they're just jealous."

"My thoughts exactly."

Lecherous looks were exchanged between the two. Leaning back over a console, Juri couldn't help but stare at his crotch. Vega noticed this and chuckled, as he was staring at the first sign of beauty: her face.

"It's not polite to keep pushing me away."

"Pushing you away? Sure I had work to do yesterday, but that didn't have to prevent you from dropping in uninvited. Hell, I would have loved it if you did that."

"Well," he started, taking a step forward to stand close to her, "I'm here now. Are you glad for this interruption?"

"More than ever," Juri said, standing up straight. "I've heard nothing but good things about you from Viper yesterday."

"Oh? Like what?"

"You've got an interesting fighting style based off of ninjutsu, mixed in with a bit of your Spanish bullfighting. The assassination techniques you put into practice serve you well in the field, leaving little to no room for errors. Everything you did on Friday was done quickly and efficiently. In all honesty, all of your abilities are to be marveled at, just like your beauty. However," she said with a sultry smile, "your stamina is what impresses me the most."

"Stamina?"

"You know what I'm talking about. Apparently it took you thirty minutes to assassinate one target. I heard it was a woman too. I hope that's true."

"Give or take a minute and it would be." He blinked twice and tilted his head, giving a smug smile. "Would you like to see just what I'm capable of?"

"Provided you don't poison me during your attempt at proving yourself." She stepped forward and traced circles on his chest, looking up at his face. "I need a good time, Vega, and you're going to give me one."

Vega reached up and took her hand from his chest, inspecting it. The purple gloves were off for this session, allowing him to rub the back of her hand with his thumb. He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"Whatever you desire, my dear."

He relinquished his hold on her hand and got comfortably close enough to breathe in Juri's scent. Her hands grabbed his waist and stayed there as he lifted his hands to cup her delicate, beautifully framed face. She looked up, and, with a flash of lust in her eyes, leaned forward to brush her nose against his. Vega chuckled at the contact and enveloped her lips with his own.

Blood rushed up to fill Juri's cheeks as her eyes rolled up, overcome by the feeling. The kiss bombarded her senses in a way that it was almost intoxicating. But it wasn't all to the credit of Vega, it was Juri's longing and lust that amplified the feeling. It had been so long since she had felt the sensational touch of a man or woman that was not during a fight. With half closed eyes, she deepened the kiss, going as far as to slide her tongue forward to touch Vega's lips.

Granting permission, Vega smirked inwardly when her tongue met his. Juri's hands crawled up inside his shirt to feel the smooth texture of his well-toned muscles and the sudden transition to his purple snake tattoo. She explored both his upper body and his mouth as his hands trailed down her body. Soon, Vega broke the kiss and started his assault on her neck. The Korean threw her head back and moaned, her own hands gripping the material of his shirt.

That needed to come off. Now.

Vega allowed her to remove his top and watched as she carelessly discarded it behind him. What a sight it was to see his uncovered chest. Juri had seen it many times in the course of three days, but nothing could compare to touching it intimately, to be so close and to want it so badly. A hand rested on her thigh when she leaned back over a console. Oh how she wanted that hand to drift a little closer.

She placed her hands on his bottom, raising an eyebrow at the good feeling of it. An idea came to mind just as Vega started to direct his kisses from her neck down to her shoulders. She grabbed him roughly by the shoulders and switched positions, making it so that he was leaning back over the consoles while she would be leaning into him. Control was something Juri desired, and damned would she be if she would allow Vega to do everything for her.

Tracing Vega's snake tattoo with one hand and passionately holding the back of his head with the other, Juri kissed him deeply again. She was excited by his movements and abilities, which wasn't easily done. Things were going great, and they would only continue to get better. But things were going slow, which annoyed her. Breaking the kiss, Juri leaned away from the Spaniard. She could feel his eyes on her chest, and she knew what he wanted.

"It's not fair, isn't it?"

"What isn't?"

"Your top is off, but mine is still on…" Grinning, she spoke in a lecherous tone: "Let's level the playing field, shall we?"

Vega grinned himself and watched as her hands went to her back. Her movements were painfully slow and rhythmic as she slowly rocked side to side while her hands felt for the black straps of her breastplate. Giggling, Juri grabbed a strap and started to undo it, all the while ogling Vega's chest and crotch.

Just as the strap started to come loose did her eye catch sight of something on the console he was leaning on. She froze as she stared at a screen, which was equipped for recording footage from surveillance cameras. On the screen was a live image of the facility's hangar, and within it was one solitary figure on a cellphone. Long, braided red hair and a black suit gave the figure away as Crimson Viper.

No one else was in the camera's field of view except for that woman. Juri wouldn't worry about seeing Viper talking on a cellphone, but this time was different. Normally, she answered and called from a chrome-colored phone, which was monitored- as were all cellphones in the facility- by a team of security guards. Juri swore she saw a yellow phone in her hands before she disappeared from sight behind a steel support column.

She narrowed her eyes at the screen and dropped her hands from her straps. The timing of this event couldn't be worse. Just as she was about to have a good time did someone ruin it, even if they didn't directly interrupt. Common sense wanted to tell her that this was nothing to worry about, but its voice was soft and tiny, easily drowned out by the screaming of paranoia. Something was up, and Juri was going to find out what.

"Is something the matter?"

Looking back at Vega, she frowned. He stared at her quizzically with a hint of annoyance.

"I have to go," she growled, tightening her straps and moving away from Vega. "Something's come up."

He looked to the screen, then back to Juri. His expression of confusion changed to disgusted disappointment.

"And you are certain you cannot get to this problem at another time?"

"Business before pleasure…" she said with a sneer. "Don't give me that look. I wanted this just as much as you did, but _somebody_ insists on screwing with me."

Cursing under his breath, Vega stood up straight and grabbed his shirt.

"Shall I dispose of this pest for you?"

"No, this is one I gotta do by myself." Ignoring her gloves on the nearby desk, Juri jogged up the set of steps and stood near the door. "Let's settle for tomorrow, Vega. Find me here at this time, regardless of whether or not I'm working, and we'll get back to where we left off."

There was no mistaking the fire in her eyes. She was angry, more so than Vega was. This was a great chance to have a good time, and Viper ruined it. Sighing, Vega nodded and put his shirt back on. Normally he would push when a situation didn't go in his favor, but, he decided to be lenient with Juri, just this time. Not bothering to take her doll along with her, Juri opened her door and ran out.

* * *

><p>"Are you sure," said a man with a grizzled voice from the yellow phone.<p>

Viper sighed and nodded, knowing that the man couldn't see. A small device was situated over the voice receiver, disguising her voice as someone else's, specifically, someone with a deep throat. A jamming device was attached to her phone as well, rendering her phone untraceable for the man and unnoticeable to the guards in the facility. Clearing her throat, she frowned and leaned against a steel support column.

"It sounds like you doubt me."

"Frankly, I can't even trust you."

"Well the feeling is mutual, meathead. Completely off topic," she started with a smirk, "did you make a full recovery after that incident at Sosna's research labs?"

She did not receive a response, knowing that she made her point. Looking up, she examined the small security cameras around the hangar, including one directly above her. Even though many of them were pointing at her, she had no need to worry. The cameras were recently programmed to replay footage of an empty hangar repeatedly. Guards would expect nothing, as people never went to the hangar unless maintenance was to be performed on the aircraft or an operation was starting. It was the perfect area to perform her task.

There was one camera that Viper couldn't hack into, one at the far end of the hangar. That camera recorded footage and sent it back to a console in Juri's quarters. If she was in her quarters, she would notice the crimson-haired assassin sneaking around. Thankfully, Vega served as a fantastic distraction, even though he knew nothing of what Viper was planning. He was all too eager to get Juri alone, which would distract her long enough for the call to be completed.

"Fine," muttered the man, "I trust you."

"Good, because damned if I'd repeat this information again."

"What should I tell the other two?"

"Tell the girls that they'll never get their revenge on Bison, and Seth and all of his clones were destroyed."

"They're not going to like that."

"They'll deal with it, as will you." She heard the man grumble. "Now, on to the most pressing concern…"

"Juri…"

"Precisely. She's had a rough time settling in as the new leader, but she's adapting well. I've got more information about her current reign and her decisions in a flash drive; look for one under your pillow someday. She'll be heading out in three days to find that karateman, Ryu. You haven't forgotten about the BLECE project, right?"

"I remember. She's planning on kidnapping Ryu to use his hidden Satsui No Hado power for her own gain, isn't she? Another woman from S.I.N., Crimson Viper was her name, tried that and almost succeeded."

Viper's expression changed from a smirk to a frown at the mention of her name. She wasn't proud of what she had done, but she never was proud of anything she ever did for S.I.N. An assassin like her was hired for such a job, and, to get results quickly, Viper had to discard mercy and compassion for the mission. The death of the pigtailed Delta Red agent wasn't necessary, but if it would persuade Ryu to unleash his true power, then so be it.

'_Thankfully the girl lived…' _she thought to herself. "That's right, but if Juri is tackling Ryu, she'll succeed where Viper failed. She always manages to get what she wants. It would be wise that you-"

A soft beeping came from a pocket in her black jacket, cutting Viper's attention away from the phone. She hastily tore into the pocket and pulled out a small pocket television, programmed to survey the hallway to the hangar. A small red light flashed repeatedly on the device, alerting her that someone was coming down the hallway. No mistake, the flash of purple and white trousers belonged to the leader of S.I.N.

"I uh… ran into a little problem," she told the man on the phone. "I'll find another way to contact you; expect something tomorrow."

Cursing under her breath, Viper tucked her phone away without bothering to hear the man's concerned response.

'_Time for plan B…'_

She put her device away and pulled out a different, smaller one. The size of a children's kaleidoscope, the black device's purpose was to create a holographic image of the user; useful for deceiving enemies. It could emit voices too, either recorded or transmitted through a microphone. She attached it to the steel support column she was leaning on and activated the tiny machine.

The device beeped once and enveloped the crimson-haired project head in a ray of blue light. It copied her image and mimicked her movements, thanks to a small receptor chip hidden in another pocket of her suit. She raised her hand and watched as the image in front of her did the same, only mirrored. She didn't smile, as she had seen this a hundred times before. Putting a pause on her doppelganger, Viper looked up to the steel rafters of the hangar.

With the touch of a small button, her black high-heels hissed. Viper crouched low for a moment before leaping into the air, her jump assisted by the sudden activation of the tiny propulsion jets in her heels. Trailing the steel support column, her jets took her up to the rafters and deposited her on a beam directly above the still image of her doppelganger.

Quickly yet carefully she walked the length of the beam, reaching into her pockets for a small microphone. She attached the tiny machine to her ear as she hopped to a perpendicular beam, working to get above the door out of the hangar. Plan B, if plan A was interrupted, was to distract and neutralize anyone who interfered with her call. Knowing well that Juri was about to reach the hangar, Viper revised her plan to allow an assassination to be made. She perched above the entrance in the shadows, tapping a button to make her deceiving device resume its mimicry of the crimson-haired agent just as the sound of doors opening filled the room.

* * *

><p>Juri quickly scanned her eye on the nearby retinal scanner, opening the doors into the hangar. She ran inside and stopped a few feet in, clenching her fists and glaring at the battlesuit-wearing woman. Viper was leaning against a steel support column, head down and eyes focused on her chrome phone. Her fingers worked the keys like an expert, showing Juri that she was texting someone.<p>

"What are you doing in here, Viper?" Juri shouted, placing her hands on her hips and leaning forward.

No answer was given for a few seconds, testing the Korean's patience. Why she didn't run up and slam a leg into her was the credit of a lingering piece of doubt in the back of her mind. If Viper wanted to explain herself, she would. She looked up from her phone and raised an eyebrow.

"Why, just texting a few of my men to check up on my work," she replied in a nonchalant fashion.

"Bullshit, where's the yellow phone?"

"What yellow phone?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Viper," she hissed, baring her teeth.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about," Viper replied, pushing away from the column to stand up. "Save for my daughter's phone, all I have is this chrome one."

Juri went forward and slammed her foot down on the concrete floor, creating a few cracks as well as a resounding thud. She noticed Viper looking down at her action and yelled.

"Don't lie to me! Who did you call!"

"Call?" Viper placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at Juri, looking amused. "Juri, I didn't call anyone. You're being paranoid again."

She slicked her hair back and yawned, clearly not frightened by Juri's display. Juri, angered by her lax demeanor, slowly made her way to Viper with malicious intent. If she dared to lie to her, then she had no choice but to beat the truth out of her. The fact that she worked with Viper for years and knew her enough to be considered a friend would not take any hostility from the soon-to-come interrogation.

Suddenly, the project head flickered like a candle in the wind. Her expression softening to show bewilderment, Juri stopped and stared. The woman in front of her seemed frozen in place. She was about to open her mouth when a faint hissing sound was heard from above. Gasping, Juri dived forward just as the real Viper came crashing down where she once stood, her heels alight with orange flame.

Rolling over to her side, the leader narrowly managed to dodge the assassin's heel again. She leaped to her feet and swung her leg at the woman, forcing her to back away. Viper grunted and raised her fists, agitated that her killing blow missed its mark. If only she was a little quicker in her execution would Juri be on the floor with a flaming heel embedded in her bloody skull.

"Et tu, Viper?" Juri angrily spat out, getting back to her feet.

She slowly backpedaled to the steel support column and quickly searched it, finding the device Viper used to trick her. The contraption broke easily in her hands. She threw the pieces to the floor as Viper tossed a microphone over her shoulder, smirking.

"You know, I didn't expect you to notice me up here. I thought Vega would've had you bent over a table at this time."

Sparks came from her black leather gloves, arcing out a few inches in every direction. Her feet were in a good position to deliver her away from any retaliation attacks, and to attack at the drop of a hat. The covert weapons that she wielded were capable of quickly incapacitating targets, making her a force to be reckoned with. To Juri, she would have to be extra cautious around her. She waved her arms to the hangar doors, scowling.

"You hit me enough, and my dolls will come running."

Viper shook her head and sighed.

"Well then, I'll just have to kill you quickly."

"It doesn't really matter though," Juri continued, ignoring Viper's comment. "You'll be completely at my mercy before they get here."

"Is that a threat?" Viper retorted, tapping her shades.

"That's not a threat," she hissed, "that's a promise."

Juri leaped into the air, twisting her body around. She lurched forward and came rocketing down upon Viper with her leg out for an attack. Viper raised her arms and blocked the strike, although managing to get pushed back a few feet. From her midair position, Juri lashed out with a few more kicks, all easily blocked before she touched down on the concrete flooring.

This provided Viper a wondrous opportunity to attack, but, she didn't capitalize on the opportunity. She needed a good, strong hit to stagger her target, not a quick jab to the ribs. She would persevere with the fight, awaiting a better opportunity. Sweeps from Juri's legs were dodged by hopping over them, and aggressive roundhouses were ducked. Viper slowly backed away from Juri, taunting her by yawning and readjusting her gloves.

Angered by the display of cockiness, Juri dashed forward. Pivoting her heel as she ran, she lifted her leg up behind her with her ki energy following, starting up her pinwheel kick. Viper blocked the first leg and her other leg with minimal effort, finding that Juri was flailing about in hopes that the strength of her legs would knock her around. Just as Viper lowered her arms did she see the two legs she blocked come by again, seemingly defying the laws of gravity and physics.

The first returning leg broke Viper's block, kicking her arms up and away from her body. Smashing into her jaw was the second leg, imbued with Juri's damaging ki energy. The effect of the attack was a load of pain, as well as Viper's shades almost being knocked off. She didn't let her target know that the attack fazed her, instead focusing on returning her yellow shades to her face.

Grunting, Viper delivered a punch forward, sending a weak amount of electricity to run across her knuckles. Unbeknownst to Juri as she dodged to get behind her, that attack from Viper was in reality, a feint. She quickly turned around, unclenching her fist to knock Juri's backhand away. Off balance, the Korean's eyes widened as Viper's fist slammed into her stomach.

This wasn't accompanied by a severe shocking, which Viper normally used on targets that needed to be incapacitated. Instead, a strong physical shock shot through Juri's body as if something phased through her. She felt like a sledgehammer smashed into her body, knocking the wind out of her and keeling her over. Unlike a sledgehammer, which crumpled any poor sap unlucky enough to get hit by it, Viper's supercharged fist sent Juri reeling backwards through the air.

The clock began ticking for Viper, as with the hit she knew the dolls would come running. Working fast, she pursued Juri's body and attempted to stab her heel into her ribs. Juri quickly recovered from the pain and dodged the stomp attack, kicking Viper's legs out from under her. Growling, she got to her feet and put some room between her and Viper before she could get back up to attack again.

"Let me guess," Juri began, tapping her chin, "one of the Shadaloo scientists ponied up all his cash just to survive and promised more if you brought him my head, right?"

"Nope," Viper replied simply, throwing a sidewinder strike at her head.

Juri ducked the attack and countered with a hard kick, which was blocked. She wouldn't admit that Viper caught her off guard, that she had an advantage over her. Her pride wouldn't allow her to realize that and persuaded her to keep fighting, not just out of anger but for her life. She knew that Viper was just a woman, and without that suit to make her a threat, she was as weak as any scientist she crushed under her heel.

"Then what are you doing?"

Crimson Viper smirked and tapped her heels on the concrete.

"My job."

Her job in S.I.N. was to be the head of the battlesuit project and to take care of blights that needed to be solved with assassinations and blackmails. She had done this for at least four years, never failing or even earning herself a scolding from one of the higher-ups. If her job included betraying Juri, then something was wrong.

"You're working for someone else, aren't you?" Juri yelled, pointing at Viper.

"Just like persistence, paranoia pays off for you," Viper muttered, rushing forward.

She leaped over Juri and tapped her heels with her fingers, prompting a short hiss to erupt from them. Flipping in midair at the top of her arc, she brought her heels in only to send them out and away from each other, spewing flames from the devices hidden inside. Juri, taken aback by the attack, raised her arms to protect her face. She grunted in pain as the flames licked her arms.

Landing behind Juri, Viper turned and jabbed her elbow into her back, knocking her down.

"Nothing in this world lasts forever, Juri," she said in a calm voice. "Everything eventually decays and breaks down. S.I.N. is suffering with you in charge, and with you out of the picture, it'll break down completely. This time, I'll finally expose this organization for good." She approached Juri and raised her fists, cackling with electricity. "…I owe him that much…"

"This time?" Juri repeated, painfully rolling to her side. "...Are you saying you were working against us the whole time?"

"Well, look who just caught up!"

Viper slammed her charged fist into Juri's side, sending shocks through her body. It arced through her, making her convulse from the pain. When Viper tried to slam another charged fist into her, Juri rolled over to avoid the attack and got to her knees, panting and holding her side. Her expression turned to weariness and unparalleled anger, directed towards the backstabbing rat.

"Oh now you've done it," she yelled, getting back to her feet. "No more playing around, on to the real thing!"

Juri growled and slammed a foot into the floor, activating her Feng Shui Engine. Her vision slowly changed to show the world in an orange hue and to create a reticule in the middle of it all. Small letters formed at the corners of her vision, informing her of the status of the eye, power management levels, power of highlighted entities, and vitals. Energy poured into Juri's body, free to flow around in her veins to strengthen her.

This display of power was expected by Viper. Of course Juri would use her eye, as it made things much easier and much more interesting for her. Combating her would be difficult, but as long as Viper kept her distance and looked for openings, the eye would just be a minor inconvenience and would be quickly destroyed along with its user. What she didn't account for was Juri's unpredictable nature. And her speed.

In a move that shocked her enemy, Juri closed the distance and got dangerously close to Viper. Flinching, she threw her fist forward in an attempt to stop her attack, which Juri dodged, ending up behind her. An attack to the stomach was what she was aiming for, but now that she was behind the traitor, she settled for a fierce knee to her back, staggering Viper forward.

"I'm going to watch you suffer!"

Juri was just getting started. She moved to get back in front of Viper, finding a huge window of opportunity. The agent could only watch as her target planted her fist under her jaw, sending pain through her body and bright lights into her vision. Kicks were what Juri was known for, as she rarely punched. Yet, this was a fight, and in a fight, anything goes. Stunned from the blow, Viper grunted and leaned back, falling to the floor.

Not wasting any time, Juri lifted her leg up high and brought it down on Viper's chest. She heard something crush beneath her heel and grinned, thinking she had cracked a rib. In fact, she had cracked Viper's pocket computer, which monitored the battlesuit's power and managed its weapons. Either way, it was fortunate for Juri as long as she heard something break and someone scream.

She looked down at Viper in sadistic delight, seeing that she was powerless. Her hand reached for her throat as she stood over her, eager for the kill. She wanted to see the helplessness in her eyes, to see the life slowly drain from them. Sadly for her, she heard the hissing sound that came from Viper's heels.

With a pained smirk, Viper activated the propulsion jets in her heels, shooting her away from Juri and across the floor. She used her hands to push against the floor as she flew, lifting her up. Narrowly avoiding Juri's hands as she jumped up to catch her, Viper retreated to the main area of the hangar. The damage to her suit needed to be evaluated, but not in the middle of the fight. She touched down on top of an aircraft, specifically, a sinister black cargo plane that was over four stories tall.

Her heels clinked against the metal of the plane's body. If things went well, Viper would have attempted to pilot the aircraft away from the facility in her escape. Things weren't going well at that time, and she knew that by the time she managed to kill Juri, soldiers would rush in. The dolls wouldn't be a concern, as they were bound to Juri's ki signature. If she died, the dolls would fall in unconsciousness. A small jet would get her out.

Sparks came from Viper's pocket computer, bringing her attention to it. She looked into her jacket and found the machine, finding that the sparks came from a small crack on one of the corners. A few wires were bent out of place, ones that ran energy to her shock gloves. She could not send shockwaves through the ground or inflict much damage on Juri until she fixed her management system.

Just as she reached her hands inside to correct her problem, she was kicked forward onto the black metal surface of the cargo plane.

"Business before pleasure," she heard Juri say mockingly behind her.

Grunting, Viper scrambled to her feet, dodging a curbstomp as she did so. She turned and swung her leg out to connect with Juri's head, gasping when it was blocked by a leg of her own. The two women stood in their position, legs connected and glaring. After a few seconds, both women withdrew their attacks and began to exchange blows, neither of them getting the upper hand on the other.

While she didn't get hit during a minute of fighting atop the plane, Juri and the power of her Feng Shui Engine managed to push Viper to one of the wings. She slowly backpedaled away from the Korean while deflecting her blows and blocking her kicks. Noticing that she was still on top of a plane, Viper turned her head to look behind herself. Wincing at the height, she returned her gaze to Juri, who, taking the brief distraction as a blessing, rammed her foot into Viper's stomach.

"Scared of heights, you backstabbing snake?" Juri hissed.

The wind was knocked out of her with that strike, as was her balance. Stumbling back, her heel slipped over the edge of the wing. With her eyes wide open in shock, Viper watched in slow motion as Juri's hand came down, reaching for the remaining heel that had yet to disappear over the edge. Her devilish purple energy trailed down her arm and into her hand as she grabbed the heel. Viper, who had activated her jets to retreat again, watched as one of them crumbled in Juri's hand.

"Here, enjoy your flight!"

Time sped back up again, and soon, Viper found Juri and the wing of the plane leaving her. Her rapid, dangerous descent lifted her long braided hair up so she could see it at the top of her vision. Then, before she could even attempt to correct her wayward flight, she collided with the concrete floor, made worse by the malfunctioning jet boot. Pain shot through her body again, and she could hear over her screams the sickening crack of her collarbone breaking.

But she couldn't lie on ruined concrete, holding her injured right arm and crying. She needed to move. Using her other arm, Viper managed to push herself up and stagger away, wincing and mumbling curses under her breath. She heard the destruction of concrete flooring behind her and knew Juri was following, ready to unleash her energy on her. Ignoring the whirring noises of the Feng Shui Engine behind her, Viper retreated behind a steel support column, disappearing from Juri's line of sight.

After a quick search of herself, Viper deducted that she was not in the best shape to fight anymore. Her battlesuit had taken severe damage- as did her body-, and now the only weapon she could use were her shock gloves. Her knuckles sparked traces of electricity, giving her an idea. She tinkered with her pocket computer, diverting power from her destroyed shockwave emitters and malfunctioning jet boots to pour into her shocking system.

If she could hold onto Juri and shock her senseless, the effects would eventually stop her heart. The Delta Red agent got off easy; she suffered from a small shock to her chest. Juri would get no mercy from her, no sympathy when she cries out from the surge of electricity coursing through her body. This was Viper's last chance to end it all. Hearing the sounds of bare feet on concrete, Viper roared and ran out from behind the column.

Juri, taken by surprise, found her shoulders gripped by the Crimson Viper. Growling, she reached up to grab her attack but stopped when the shocks shot through her body. She gritted her teeth in pain and stood still, trying to resist the surge of electricity. It felt like someone was stabbing her repeatedly, leaving scars so deep that they burned when the slightest breeze graced them. Viper, despite the pain in her shoulder, gripped harder and pushed down on the Korean, forcing her to her knees.

There was no need to make a snappy statement to rub her skills in Juri's face. Viper only cared about putting an end to the murderess quickly, no matter what. Scowling, she increased the power of her shock gloves. The purple glow of the Feng Shui Engine was lost in the blue sparks of Juri's electrocution, raising Viper's spirits. She thought she saw a glimpse of her enemy's skeleton, but she shook her head.

That didn't mean anything to Viper. She removed her left hand from the shoulders and moved down to the chest, supplying it with waves upon waves of lethal shocks. Juri opened her mouth and screamed, squeezing her eyes shut from the pain. Electricity arced through her teeth, ravaging her insides and getting ever closer to stopping her heart. Viper scoffed at Juri's screams as she continued to increase the voltage, apathetic to her plight.

She didn't notice the grin that had formed on Juri's face, or the fact that the Feng Shui Engine began to steadily grow brighter.

"Arrgghhhh…. Heh… heheheh…"

Juri chuckled masochistically, enjoying the feeling of pain throughout her body. She wasn't a real masochist, but with the power of her eye, she seemed very much like one. The eye poured more energy than what was needed into her body when her vitals began to drop, making Juri much more deadly when she was in a bad spot. She was just an animal, and animals fought their hardest when cornered. Soon, her masochistic chuckles turned into laughter.

"Hahaha… HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Viper raised an eyebrow at the woman, shocked to see she was able to laugh in such a situation. "Oh m-man! Viper… I feel s-so good right now…"

Infuriated that she was still talking, Viper drew back her left hand and curled it into a fist. She shot it forward, hitting Juri in the side of the head. The copper taste of her own blood filled her mouth, serving to convince her to give up. What a shame it was for the agent that Juri enjoyed that too. When another punch came to her face, a hand came up to grab it.

Viper gasped and looked to the Feng Shui Engine, finding it blinding to look at. Purple ki energy swirled around the two women as Juri slowly got to her feet, grinning ear to ear. She released Viper's left hand from her grip and smacked her right one away, freeing herself from the shocks. Before Viper could attack again, Juri raised her knee into her stomach.

Not wasting the opportunity, Juri backed away and slammed her foot deep into Viper's ribs, amplifying the power with her ki energy. Changing her mind, she did not want to kill her opponent. Instead, she wanted to torture her. Robbed of having a good time with Vega, Juri decided to have as much fun as she possibly could with her new toy. She smirked as her energy blew out Viper's back in a punishing fashion.

"Did you think you were special?"

The effects of Juri's ki infused kick knocked Viper off of her legs and back to the steel support column. Her screams were silent, as the breath had been knocked out of her. She impacted hard upon the column, slowly sliding down to stand in a stunned, excruciating position with her head down and eyes clenched shut. When she looked up and opened her eyes, a leg flew forward and embedded itself in her chest.

Viper released a bloodcurdling scream, throwing her head back. Something broke inside, and it wasn't just her computer again. At least two of her ribs cracked, adding to her broken collarbone on her list of injuries. If she was able to fight then, she certainly wasn't able to now. She could feel Juri's leg leaving her as her hands reached for her gloves. Powerless to stop her, Viper could only watch as her gloves, still attached to the almost broken management computer by wires, were slowly removed.

Juri deactivated her Feng Shui Engine, sending Juri into a slightly tipsy state. She pressed up against Viper and panted, trying to regain the strength that wasn't granted by the tiny machine. It was like a drug, that eye. The user cries out for power and suffers the side effects of being edged off of it, but only temporarily. It was perhaps the only flaw in the machine, but, since Juri always made sure to kill or incapacitate her threats, it was overlooked. She looked up at Viper with a drunken grin.

"Still breathing? Good." She held Viper's gloves in one hand and snaked her other hand inside Viper's jacket, feeling around for pockets. "Where's the phone?"

"W-what phone…?" Viper growled, gritting her teeth.

Immediately she tasted blood, feeling Juri's fist leave her cheek.

"Don't. Play. Dumb." She felt around again and found a small pocket, taking a device out. Crushing the pocket television, she reached in a third time, fishing out a yellow phone. "Here we go… boy, you really souped up this phone Viper." Putting a hand into a glove, Juri frowned. "Why, Viper? Why did you try to kill me?"

"…If you want s-something done right, do it yourself…" She noticed Juri's expression turn from disappointment to anger and sneered. "That's right… The Interpol officer and her little Delta Red buddy couldn't take you d-down even with the info I gave them, and Satoya's assassination attempt failed."

Juri shouted with rage and grabbed onto Viper's shoulders, shocking her with her own weapon. Electricity tore through her feeble body, running rampant through her veins. Viper screamed again, clenching her fists so hard that her nails drew blood in the palms of her hands.

"You fucking rat!" she yelled, removing her shocking, gloved hand just to punch Viper again. "Do you know how much damage you've caused to this facility? How much bullshit you put me through? The time I've wasted fighting those three idiots?" Panting and shaking her head, she said in a softer, calmer voice: "Well… Chun-Li was a gift, and the only good thing you did for me was to bring her to my attention."

She looked to the yellow phone and turned it on, surprised to see it didn't require a password. The phone's devices were undamaged in the fight; quite a lucky occurrence. Scowling, Juri flashed the phone up in front of Viper's face, showing her that her list of contacts was empty, as well as her recent calls.

"Who did you call?"

When she didn't receive an answer, Juri put on Viper's other shock glove and poked the back of her neck, sending a painful jolt down her spine.

"Answer me! Who did you call?"

"What does it matter?"

Juri pocketed the yellow phone and tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at her like a parent would before they scolded their child. While a parent's scolding would normally be gentle and harsh at the same time, Juri's scolding consisted of a knee to the stomach and another set of shocks.

"One more time… Who did you call?" She held a sparking glove next to Viper's head like a knife held at one's throat. "Give me a name!"

"Arrghh!" Juri's other hand was still on her, sending waves of shocks deep into her body. "…G-Guile!"

"Guile who?"

"M-Major William Guile… of the United States Airforce…!"

Shocks stopped at the mention of his name.

"You're lying!" she yelled. "I killed him in the mountains!"

"Did you? If C-Cammy survived to get the… jump on you in Metro City, why wouldn't a man like him survive too?"

"Tch… fine then. One last question for you, Viper… just who do you work for?"

Viper sneered at the woman, making it clear she wouldn't answer. Such disobedience did not go unpunished in S.I.N., and the leader was eager to dish out her just rewards. She could hear noises behind the hangar doors and wrote them off as her dolls trying to get in. They had equipment to bypass the locks, and would be at their master's side at any minute. Shocking Viper once again, Juri screamed in her face.

"Talk! Who do you work for?"

Despite the pain, Viper managed to let out a small chuckle.

"Heheh… d-do you expect me to just spill out everything b-because you demand it? Why don't you go back to hell where you came from… I'm not telling you a damned thing…"

"If you won't tell me," Juri started, clasping her hands together and smiling, "I'll find someone who will…" She spoke softly, yet maliciously. "You have a daughter, right?"

"What?" Viper gasped, widening her eyes.

"Lauren, was it? Maybe if I ask her nicely, I can find out just what her mommy does when she's away."

Mother's instinct kicked in, screaming at Viper to protect her daughter.

"You stay away from her! Laruen's only 6; she's innocent!"

"Haha! Do you really think she's innocent?" Shaking her head, Juri grinned. "You brought her into this mess when you joined this organization. I think I'll pay her a visit, take her to the park, buy some ice cream and just talk. Don't worry Viper… I'll be gentle."

She could see tears swelling in Viper's eyes and raised an eyebrow. Her threat to find Lauren pushed her mother off the edge, completely shattering her cool, collected demeanor. As for Juri, she couldn't care less if she threatened her daughter to get what she wanted. It wasn't that bad of a thing to do in her mind.

"Please… no more pain, no more threats," Viper sobbed, hanging her head. "…I work for the Central Intelligence Agency…"

"I knew it," Juri stated proudly. "I just wanted to make you say it."

"How can you be so heartless…?"

The response was soft and pitiful, taking Juri by surprise. This was Crimson Viper, a strong woman, now beaten and reduced to tears. Such a sighy and ironic question made Juri grin wider.

"Me? Heartless? This is coming from the woman who played a hand in the deaths of countless martial artists for BLECE data and kidnapped Masters' wife just to draw Ryu to Seth." She shook her head and sighed. "Oh, sorries! I bet that was necessary for your undercover CIA mission!"

Suddenly the hangar doors opened, revealing the S.I.N. dolls. März took her hands away from the door console and ran inside with her sisters, moving to surround her master and her attacker. Their hands hovered over their weapons or were clenched into fists, awaiting an order. Juri turned her head to look at them and frowned, disappointed that they didn't arrive soon to play with Viper.

"Looks like I was right." She turned back to look at her victim. "Now, where was I? Oh right…"

She grabbed Viper again, increasing the shock force in her new gloves. No matter how much she screamed against the torture, Juri would not let up. Her vision darkened continuously while her screams slowly faded, giving into the pain. After a minute, Viper was barely hanging onto consciousness. The electricity surging through her body suddenly stopped, giving her some rest. That was quickly cut short by a force colliding with her head, knocking her to the floor.

"Nighty night, Crimson Viper…" she managed to hear before the darkness overtook her.

* * *

><p>With her recent betrayal and the knowledge that she worked for the CIA as an undercover agent, Viper was detained in a maximum security cell in the detention block. It wasn't that she was still dangerous in her severely injured state, but with the way things were, it was a case of 'better safe than sorry'. The cell was devoid of any objects or furniture, making it unbearably uncomfortable for the one inside it. Viper's clothes were removed during her unconsciousness to find every gadget she had, and to retrieve the battlesuit.<p>

Viper's battlesuit was a mangled mess beyond hope of repair. The only weapons in that suit that still worked were her shock gloves, and they had ran out of power from overuse. Shaking her head in disappointment, Juri made the decision to destroy the suit and put the battlesuit project down, since the project head wouldn't be working for her anymore. The members of the project were reassigned to other projects, but not before suffering a threatening speech from Juri.

As for Juri, she had her work cut out for her. She decided to interrogate Viper tomorrow, saving her for herself and no one else. Questions ran through her mind as she sat in her study, looking at Viper's yellow shades in one hand and the untraceable yellow phone in the other.

'_You were an assassin, Viper,' _she thought, examining the shades. _'To any other assassin after me, I'm just a target… There was anger in your words, making the whole thing seem personal… what did I do to you to deserve that at the start?' Then you muttered about owing something to _'him'_… must be the man you answer to.'_

The beeping of the 9-paned computer screens behind her edged her out of her thoughts. Grumbling, Juri pocketed the yellow phone and stuck the yellow shades in her hairline as she turned to face the screens. It was a report on the BLECE project, which filled her with curiosity and contempt. She was glad that the men working on it were continuing to make progress after all that had happened during the week, but she was also disgusted that they had to bother her today.

A picture of a man in a white karate gi flashed on the screen along with a text document that explained more about him. Juri leaned forward in earnest interest when she saw it. A team of recruiters for S.I.N. had sent in this report about Ryu from Thailand, remarking that they had caught a glimpse of the man wandering the wilderness nearby. Whether it was really him or just another karateman, the recruiters were not exactly sure. It was progress towards retrieving data on the Satsui No Hado, nonetheless.

"Thailand?" Juri questioned. "Where the hell is that?"

She didn't receive an answer. Furrowing her brow, Juri questioned the screens again.

"Where is Thailand?"

The computer was supposed to answer questions and take vocal orders, increasing its efficiency and making the operator's job easier. Seth personally commissioned a team of technicians to create this computer to assist him. Why he didn't just use a keyboard was a mystery. Perhaps his fingers were too large to tap away at keys. After a few seconds of waiting, Juri came to the conclusion that the voice software only recognized Seth's voice.

"Fine," she sighed, "I'll use a globe like an old fart."

She turned around and walked to the old, antique globe that sat near her desk. Three mahogany legs lifted the sepiatoned sphere a good three and a half feet from the ground, allowing Juri to lean over it in her search for Ryu's supposed location. Something arose when she thought of Thailand. She had sworn that she had been there before, and that it was somewhere in Asia. Dusting the sphere with her hand, she went to work.

Turning the sphere slowly, Juri trailed her finger along the surface. She passed over America, where she knew a Shadaloo base was hidden in California. Whether or not every scientist was assassinated during Viper's mission, she knew that Shadaloo was finished. Moving along, her finger zipped past France, where she had her most recent run-in with Chun-Li after defeating a cocky Muay Thai kickboxer.

"Ms. China doll chased me off before I could get that spastic little creep's headband. I need that to complete my collection! Oh well," she said with a smirk, "there'll be other opportunities."

Soon, her finger rested on the continent of Asia. She passed through Russia and skipped over India to find a small country, labeled as Thailand. Curious, Juri leaned in closer to examine the land. She was right about the country being located in Asia, and the idea that she had visited it became stronger. If memory served, one of the first Shadaloo bases was hidden deep in the forests of Thailand.

"Damn," she cursed, tapping the globe, "this place is on the other side of the planet! By the time I get there, the karate guy would already be lost!"

Shaking her head, Juri pressed the palm of her hand on the country and pressed to the right, putting the globe in motion. She walked away from the tool to get back to her desk when she heard a dull bump behind her, halting her movements. Things never went bump in the night, not in the heavily guarded and secure facility. Turning on her heel, Juri raised herself into her fighting stance; one leg raised and prepared to strike at any attacker.

Nothing jumped out at her, and she couldn't sense someone hiding in the shadows of the bookcases. Lowering her stance, Juri scowled and stood still for a few seconds, focusing on hearing that sound again. She swore the sound came from her right, and focused her attention there. She passed the still spinning globe and peeked behind a bookcase, mumbling obscenities as she looked around. The bumping sound came from behind again, whisking her head away.

The globe was spinning much slower than it was earlier, piquing her interest. She approached it and watched carefully as countries came into view and quickly disappeared behind new ones, ready to appear again. Then, the sphere suddenly bounced up as if it had hit something, prompting the same bumping noise that Juri had heard twice already to fill the room. She reached out to stop the globe and gently lifted it out from its spot.

A small hole was carved into the bowl-shaped top of the globe stand. The globe must have hit the edges of the hole when it spun. Juri placed the sphere on the ground and looked into the hole, finding that she couldn't see what was inside due to the lack of light. She snapped her fingers, willing the bright purple light of her energy to come out and illuminate the insides of the hole. With the aid of her bright ki energy, she reached into the hole and grabbed onto a small object, pulling it out.

The object was light in her hands and had a cold metallic feel to it. Raising it up to her face, Juri saw that the object was in fact, a silver key. She looked at the blade of the key, noticing it had two flat prongs. Inscribed on the bow was an elegant engraving of a butterfly. The entire key was tiny, making it unfit for use on a door lock. Instead, it was fit for use on something smaller.

Getting an idea, Juri moved to her desk and opened a drawer filled with Seth's journals. She picked out a few she hadn't read yet and spread them apart, examining each lock.

"None of these locks are silver," she muttered, looking at the bronze locks on the sides of Seth's journals. She looked at the silver key again, staring intently at the butterfly on the bow. "Just where do you go?"

A thought came to her mind.

'_The only silver lock I've seen… is in my room… attached to that leather-bound notebook thingy…'_

She looked up at the BLECE report on the screens above her, then back to the silver key in her hand. As a leader, one has to put first things first. Files need to be finished, documents need to be examined, and reports need to be reviewed. For Juri, she had two choices: abandon her work for the moment and pursue her thought, or sit down and commit herself to completing her work.

The lure of the key was too enticing to pass up, and damned would Juri be if she actually wanted to work. She turned her back on the screens and jogged to the doors, whistling to her personal doll. With März ordered to follow, the spider exited the room.

Something was wrong about the whole key situation in Juri's mind. She had a sneaking suspicion that the key was hers, but she didn't recall having it in her possession. Seth loved to hide things from Juri, but it was always in the same form: speaking in Japanese before she understood the language. If he hid a tiny, fascinating-looking silver key from her, then there must be something he didn't want her to see.

Her feet flew through the corridors and hallways, down the stairs, and past every confused and frightened scientist she met. She kept the key hidden in her clenched fist, as to keep the personnel from seeing what she was so hot-footed about. Nobody needed to know what she was doing except for Juri and perhaps her brainwashed pack mule.

She made it to her quarters and punched in her code again, not so much as batting an eyelash at the two guards again. If she was in a bad mood, smacking them around would alleviate her sour attitude. Now, she was just in a curious mood, eager to find out what the key unlocked. She went inside and looked to her doll.

"Stay!" she ordered the woman, as if she was giving a command to a dog. März clicked her heels and stood at attention near the door, head held high. "Good girl."

With her doll set, Juri moved into the bedroom of her quarters and looked around. The big four-poster bed looked enticing to lie on, but she needed to find that locked notebook. Gregor's new glass tank would never hold the item, since it was an inane place to put such a thing. She didn't remember placing the item in Seth's personal safe and wine cooler, but she looked inside it anyway, just to grab a glass of red wine. She knew the wardrobe was the place to go.

Opening up the bottom drawer, Juri grabbed hold of a few articles of exotic clothing with the hand that didn't hold her glass and tossed them over her shoulder. She nudged the dead dictator's red military cap out of her way along with more miscellanea. Maracas, red sneakers, a feathery headband, blue boxing gloves… her search in the drawer became fruitless. Mumbling to herself with the key held between her teeth, she shut the drawer and stood up from her crouched position.

A small glint caught her eye as she took the key out from her mouth. She looked into the large mirror to her left and rolled her eyes, seeing past herself that the item she was looking for was on a mahogany end table, resting against her alarm clock as it had been the day before. Red wine slid down her throat before she deposited her half full glass on the table, using her new free hand to pick up the leather-bound notebook.

To anyone else who held the notebook, a strange feeling of dread and sorrow would grip them, tempting them to leave the object be. Juri didn't feel that at all, proving that her curiosity was dominant at the time. She held the key close to the lock of its element, taking a moment to compare. There was a butterfly engraved in the lock as well, further cementing the idea that the key was compatible with the lock.

Without hesitation, Juri stuck the blade of the key into the hole and turned the bow, hearing the tiny click of the lock having been released.

She grinned, expecting something beneficial hidden inside. In a strange way… it actually was beneficial to her. A scrap of white paper with a drawing of a familiar woman greeted her eyes when she opened the notebook. The person had on a traditional taekwando outfit like Juri's, but without the sinister touches. Her expression was not of the usual devilish pride, happiness, anger, or serenity that Juri was used to. Instead, the woman's drawn expression was one of deep melancholy. Grin wiped from her face, the leader saw that the signature at the bottom of the picture was her own.

"I drew this?" Juri asked, tilting her head. "I don't remember this at all…"

Her drawings never included her without the Feng Shui Engine or a look of pride, and yet, there was a picture of herself without both things. A bad feeling brewed in the pit of her stomach, urging her to look no further into the notebook. She ignored it and grabbed the drawing to put it on her nearby bed. Another drawing was beneath it, created in the same sad light as the other.

Juri saw herself speaking to a chrome giant with a yin-yang sphere embedded in his stomach. She knew the other person was Seth, but she wasn't sure if she had drawn herself tiny or him gigantic. The whole picture seemed to signify intimidation, but Juri never recalled being intimidated by Seth. His scolds were never harsh enough to rustle her or put fear into her heart, mostly because she had grown tired of his calm, emotionless façade.

Another picture was underneath that one, but it was different from the other two. This one had a date, showing that it was drawn at least five years ago. In the drawn Juri's hand was a smoking handgun, and on her face was an angry expression. She was pointing the handgun at someone nearby, but the picture was ripped in half, leaving the side with the Korean intact. All that Juri could make out about the other person was a foot with a few drops of blood near it.

"So… Seth stole this key to keep depressing pictures that I drew away from me?"

Not dwelling on the thought, Juri continued to look through the notebook, finding more of the same sad, angry drawings. Those drawings told something about her, but she could not understand the messages. She had never recalled using a firearm in her life. She couldn't remember the last time she felt intimidated. What was there to cry about?

She delved further into the notebook, eager to uncover something that could make heads or tails of her old forgotten drawings. Pictures that had been looked at were spread across the bed while new ones were pulled out, handled, and examined closely. The notebook was put aside, having taken everything out of it. She drank all of the wine from her glass and turned to walk back to the wine safe for a refill.

"This is getting creepy…" she muttered, tilting the bottle of red wine into her glass. She turned her head to her pet spider's enclosure and shrugged. "What do you think Gregor?"

The tarantula squeaked and moved away from the glass to retreat under a fake log. Sighing, Juri shook her head at her pet, knowing that although he looked fierce, he didn't act as intimidating as his kind usually were. She put the bottle of wine back into the safe and closed it for the evening, drawing the line at two glasses. When she walked back to the bed, her foot brushed against something on the floor.

Whatever it was, it was different from the many drawings on paper. Its material didn't feel ragged or rough like paper, but glossy, smooth, and well-kept. She looked down at her foot and saw a small piece of white material with a bit of writing on the back. Holding her glass of wine carefully close to her body, Juri crouched down near the object and looked over it.

There was a date written in purple ink, one that served to make Juri very anxious. Whatever the material was, it dated back ten years. She would have been fifteen at that time, as she was twenty-five now. She reached out to pick up the item and feel the material. The sense of dread was strongest at that point, and yet, Juri could not feel it. With a small gasp, she read out a name at the top right corner of the item.

"H-Han…"

She blinked and slowly flipped over the item.

It was a picture… a picture of an Asian man and woman in their early forties. The man wore a black business suit while the woman wore an elegant red dress. It was a portrait photo upon closer inspection, taken to show the couple at their best. They both wore merry expressions, but they were not directed towards the viewer. Two pairs of eyes, one blue and soft, the other hazel and gentle, looked down at a third person.

A young woman sat between the man and woman. Her short, raven-colored hair gleamed in the light of the room in the photo. She wore a practical yet beautiful purple dress and a sincere smile, one that held no ill meaning behind it. Bright violet eyes that were full of life seemed to stare directly at Juri, allowing her to see one important thing: her left eye was real, not a machine.

Then the world came crashing down upon Juri.

The man in the picture was her father. He was a lawyer who acted to stop Shadaloo and tried to make the world safer for his daughter. The woman was her mother, the gentlest, kindest person her daughter had ever known. The teenage girl was Juri herself, when she was still innocent and blissfully ignorant of the evil in the world. Her parents loved her with all their hearts, and continued to do so, even when they breathed their last dying breath.

"M-mom… Dad…"

Juri's hands began to shake as she suddenly began to recall their deaths, for she was there to witness them. Two Shadaloo soldiers kidnapped the entire family in the dead of night when they decided to walk back home, quickly incapacitating them. The soldiers transported them to a dilapidated and deserted building miles from their hometown as ordered to put distance between them and law enforcement, which by that time had just began their search for the Han family. With a safe spot to perform, the soldiers went to work.

As a lawyer working against Shadaloo, Juri's father was the prize of the day. Blackmail didn't work against him, bribes were ignored, and threats fell on deaf ears. He wasn't stubborn to push them away; he was strong and protective of his family, not taking anything that would influence his decisions regarding Shadaloo's activities. The two soldiers ended up breaking every bone in his body, slowly and painfully as to revel in his screams. Oh how Juri screamed when she came to, finding her father tortured before her very eyes.

Falling back slowly to sit on her bottom, Juri continued to stare at the photo, unaware that moisture was forming in her tear ducts. The gunshot that echoed through the room was deafening; it was a sound the young taekwondo fighter never heard before. She associated it with death when she saw the smoking gun and the blood that ran from her father's body. She wanted to scream, harder than before, but her mother beat her to it.

No evidence could be left. The woman was beaten ferociously for a full minute until one of the soldiers produced a knife. Tired of her screams, the man cut her throat, ripping the mother away from her daughter forever. Her parents murdered in front of her, Juri sobs shook her body as her tears streamed down her face. In the corner of her vision, she could see the two men approach her, and she could also see the bloody blade in one of their hands.

Her right eye began to twitch as she stared at her younger self's violet eyes. She was beaten in the same fashion as her mother and father, but she didn't know that the men were holding back, as they both wanted something from the young woman. One of them was perplexed by her violet eyes and poked and prodded at her left, destroying it in the process. The other touched Juri's chest and thighs, making it clear what he was about to do to her.

They had their way with her, then, when they were finished, they gathered up the bodies and discarded them in the cold, unforgiving winter snow. Juri struggled to move, but the pain in her body prevented her from doing so. Blood steamed down her left cheek from her ruined eye and down her thighs from her stolen innocence. She sobbed quietly; face down in the bloody snow amongst the bodies of her parents.

Eventually, she mustered the strength to get up and return home to receive medical attention after what seemed like hours of torturous limping. Law enforcement did all that they could for the abused girl, but they could not track down the two men who killed her parents. There was no mistaking anything; the event had forever scarred the young woman's mind.

Juri felt something travel down her cheek and brushed her hand against it, widening her eyes when it came back wet. She was crying, but she had not noticed it until now. She hadn't cried for years, not since the time she first joined the ranks of S.I.N. Another set of memories came forward, forcing her to remember the reason why she joined that evil organization in the first place.

Bitter and determined, Juri left her hometown at the age of nineteen to pursue Shadaloo. The deaths of her parents would not go unpunished, and damned would she be if she let the organization that orchestrated their deaths walk off scot free. She desired revenge and longed for blood to spill, all for the right cause: to prevent the traumatizing event she went through from happening to another family.

She traveled to Thailand, where a World Warrior's tournament was taking place. Shadaloo was using the tournament as a means to find and recruit able fighters into its ranks. Juri saw that as an opportunity to infiltrate the organization and destroy it, so she entered the tournament. Many fighters were eliminated as she steadily climbed the ranks. Beaten and bruised, yet still willing to fight, she faced her final opponent: the King of Muay Thai himself, Sagat. She lost, giving the giant a perfect victory.

Her pride broken, Juri tried to hold back the tears from having come so far only to lose when getting so close. The giant offered his hand to her, amazed that a woman got so far to face him. She refused his help, got up on her own, and without saying a word, slowly limped away from the arena floor. While she had thought she had lost her chance, her determination and strength impressed Sagat. She was approached after the battle by him and a representative of Shadaloo, who offered her employment.

To survive in a hostile organization, she needed to close her broken heart away from everyone. No one in that organization –save the giant lieutenant- would have cared about who she was or what she went through. She had to hold her head up high and do as the others did. Mercy, remorse, empathy, and more had to be stashed away. She needed to exact her revenge on the organization, and the emotions only held her back.

The cost was extreme. Juri was raised by her parents to do good and to fight for what was right. When she joined S.I.N., power presented itself. She worked for Seth and fulfilled all of his desires, even what she was tasked to do went against her parent's wishes. She killed for the wrong causes, fought for power, and committed many atrocities, all for S.I.N. The irony of that was blinding. If they were alive, just what would her parents think?

More tears began to flow down Juri's cheeks. She set her family picture down and held her head, gritting her teeth from a new pain that wrecked her body. Physically, she was extraordinarily strong, possibly surpassing the strongest woman in the world, Chun-Li. Emotionally, she was pathetically weak. Faced with emotions she had locked away and forgotten about, Juri uttered a sob as they ran rampant through her mind.

She felt an undeniable and immense pang of guilt for what she had done in her quest for power. People died by her hands and lives were ruined by her actions, all fueled by her sadistic desires. The Feng Shui Engine could not be blamed for her atrocities and crimes against the world, since she always had the choice to use it. It was only used for fighting, and since Juri was a fighter, her actions were always sick and twisted.

Sniveling, she drank what was left of her wine in her glass, looking back on one of her latest missions. Sent to Asia to kill a group of specially trained S.I.N. operatives, Juri ended up going further than what was planned. Drunk on a recent upgrade to her eye, her explosive energies destroyed the building her targets where in. Innocents were inside, some frantically searching for an exit while others were held hostage by her frightened targets.

When the dust settled, she could hear a small, heartbroken voice behind her. A young boy, not even at the age of five, was on his knees crying over the body of his mother, who may or may have not died in the energies of the Feng Shui Engine. Juri had ripped a mother away from her child, potentially traumatizing him. She had done the same thing that Shadaloo solider did to her mother, and the fact that she didn't notice nor care about it then made her guilt and shame worse now. She had become a murderer.

"M-murderer…"

The word felt so harsh coming from her lips. Tears continued to stream down her face as sobs wrecked her body. She knew that right now she looked pitiful, but she also knew no one would give her pity. She deserved pity ten years ago, as a parentless and abused teenager. Now, the only thing she deserved was pain.

Her thoughts drifted to the incident at Sosna's deserted research labs, where the Delta Red agent and the USAF soldier tried to stop her from making off with the Shadaloo dolls. She had taunted Cammy numerous times during the scuffle, telling her that she was just as worthless as the dolls she attacked. There was no sympathy for the brainwashed women in Juri's mind, and she used that absence to push one off a plane in a successful attempt to knock Cammy away. It was a callous thing she did, and it hurt her the more she thought about it.

She had suffered so much from that incident, but others had experienced similar incidents and came out fine. Chun-Li lost her father to a Shadaloo assassin and devoted her life to finding and arresting , living her life to the fullest all the while. But she didn't see her parents murdered before her very eyes. She didn't lose her left eye in the ordeal. She didn't have her innocence stolen.

Juri looked up and saw her reflection in the mirror through her tears. The woman that she saw seemed to sneer at her, mocking her struggle despite being in the same position as she was. Anger surfaced in her mind, compelling her to stand up. With a yell of rage, Juri threw her drinking glass at the mirror, shattering both things. Glass shards fell to the floor while the rest of the mirror cracked until it seemed to represent her tortured mind.

"Stop! J-just stop!" she shouted out against her emotions, holding her head.

The pain she was going through was too much for her. The realization of who she was stabbed at her, filling her with guilt, shame, and profound sadness which she had no clue how to deal with, having not felt those emotions for so long. Sobbing hard, she looked back at the broken mirror and the shards of glass.

She felt that the only way to suppress the emotional pain was to inflict physical pain, or to find some way to take her mind off it. Cutting herself would be a foolish act, as there was the possibility of death from overdoing it. Her eyes rested on the broken wine glass, then over to the safe with the wine. There were at least four more bottles of intoxicating red liquid.

Sniveling, she staggered over to them.

* * *

><p><em>Rindokan Dojo, Present Day, Japan<em>

The cherry blossom, ninja, and karate fighter were shocked by the Korean in front of them. She was trying as hard as she could to not to break down on the spot, but the tears rolling down her cheeks made it painfully difficult. Her hands covered her face as she leaned against the counter, overcome by her own story. The three girls didn't know what to do about the situation, as they had never seen Juri cry around them. Ibuki was on the brink herself while her stalwart friend Makoto looked away, sympathetic yet angry.

Sakura, with a sincere and sympathetic expression, reached forward over the counter to try to hold Juri's hand, knowing that contact could make almost everything better for a person.

"Juri… Hey, it's alright-"

Juri slapped her hand away and glared at her through her violet, watery eyes.

"Don't touch me," she hissed angrily. "You're just going to judge me for what I've done, just like everyone else has!"

Before Sakura could reply to calm her down, Juri pushed herself away from the counter and moved to the left, storming away from the girls. Her feet moved swiftly from the hardwood flooring of the kitchen to the soft carpet of the living room. As she reached out to open the sliding door to her room, she could hear one of the girls calling out her name in an attempt to stop her. She shook her head and ignored them, moving inside her room. Finally allowing a sob to escape her lips, Juri turned around to slide the door behind her.


	7. Day 6

**Day 6 – Monday: Strength**

* * *

><p>Every attempt to persuade Juri to talk and open up was met with silence. Sakura meant well and had no intention of judging the Korean who secluded herself in her room, but even her cheery nature couldn't bring her to calm down and open the door. Makoto felt detached to the whole situation while her ninja friend simply sat at the kitchen counter, staring blankly at the opposite wall with watery eyes. They had no clue as to how to solve the problem of the night, and neither did Sakura, who eventually gave up with coaxing Juri out of her room.<p>

The door was jammed shut and locked, which prevented Makoto from getting in. Breaking the door down was out of the question, as it would cost money to replace, and she was certainly against destroying her own house. As the owner of the dojo, she could have used a key to open it, but she feared for her well-being, as she didn't know how Juri would react to her intrusion. She shook her head and went to her own room in an attempt to get her mind off the situation. Ibuki soon followed while Sakura remained in the living room, pacing slowly while giving long sad looks over at Juri's door. Soon, the girls fell victim to drowsiness and drifted off to sleep, optimistically thinking that whatever troubles remained would be resolved the next day.

Sadly, the next morning the girls were greeted with Juri's locked door and more failed interactions with her. When they tried to talk to her, they received only silence once again. Sakura assumed that she slept in, figuring she deserved it after yesterday night's revelation. She usually got up early before or after Makoto, who used the mornings to train and take walks. She needed her space, and Sakura respected that.

However, too many hours had passed in the day, and soon Sakura's cheery, optimistic outer walls crumbled. There was a worry that Juri had done something drastic. It was in the afternoon, and both she and Makoto wanted to get the Korean back in operation. After another plea from Sakura fell on deaf ears, Makoto produced a house key. She didn't care if she got beaten up now. In fact, if it brought Juri back, then so be it.

Just as the key approached the little lock did the door slide open, revealing a ninja in a beige outfit. Startled, Makoto dropped her key and reeled a fist back.

"Woah! Hold on!" the ninja shouted, flinching back. She removed her mask and entreated, "It's me Mak!"

"Ibuki?" Makoto lowered her fist and breathed a sigh of relief. "What are you doing? How did you get in there?"

"I was looking around for Juri! When I went around the dojo to look through the window, I noticed it was open, so I climbed in!"

"And she's not inside?" Sakura asked, craning her neck to look around Ibuki.

"No… she's not here." She looked to the room for a few seconds before turning back to the other girls. "Hey, if we look around, we could get a clue as to where she went off to."

"Snooping as usual," Makoto muttered with a sly smile. "Alright, let's look around then."

Ibuki moved to the side, granting the two young women passage. Makoto wandered over to the window to close it while Sakura walked inside and looked around. The entire room wasn't as personalized as the others, since all it contained was a bed, dresser, vanity, and closet. Juri didn't put much effort into customizing her room because it seemed obvious that she didn't plan on staying long enough in Japan to make it hers.

An easel was positioned in the corner of the room over a piece of white tarp. As an ex-S.I.N. agent, one who took the lives of many innocents, Juri knew anyone in their right mind wouldn't give her a fighting chance at a job. She could easily survive on her own for at least a decade, thanks to a small percentage of S.I.N.'s money that was bestowed upon her due to the fact that the organization earned it legally. But Juri didn't want to just survive in the world she had once secluded herself from, she wanted to thrive.

Fighting was what Juri excelled in, but after her time in S.I.N. she found that most tournaments were off limits to her. The Feng Shui Engine was a weapon, and unless it was disabled during the duration of the tournament, she would not be able to enter. Due to an error with background checks, she was allowed to enter in the mixed martial arts tournament held in Japan only two years ago. By the time she defeated Makoto, her last opponent, officials informed her that the prize money would not fall into her hands. In a show of good faith, they acknowledged that she won the tournament and gave her the title of the year's champion.

Painting took up most of her time after her arrival at Makoto's dojo. It was a creative hobby that put her troubles aside every time she picked up a brush. Chun-Li was the one who suggested to her that she picked up painting, and even offered to find her materials, thinking it was good that Juri found something other to do than fighting in England. Cammy begrudgingly implied that paintings created by her would sell well, seeing as she was the woman that was instrumental in the downfall of S.I.N. Not one for publicity, Juri only sold her paintings to people who ordered them and small businesses, like she did for one small diner on the edge of the nearby city.

Sakura approached the easel and examined what looked like a cityscape, painted to show the nightlife. Even though it wasn't finished, it was certainly a sight to see. Makoto poked through the closet and mumbled at all the furniture shoved inside. A shrill scream tore her attention away from the closet and towards Ibuki, who quickly backpedaled away from the bed.

"What's wrong?" the young cherry blossom asked, concerned.

"It's the spider again! It's under the bed!"

"Oh come on, Juri's pet isn't going to hurt you." Makoto shook her head and moved to the bed. She crouched near the bottom and lifted up the covers that had draped over the side so she could get a better look. "Look at him… he's just as scared of you as you are of him! He's not even mov-" She stopped and drew away from the bed. "Oh… oh dear…"

"W-what? Did that thing bite you?"

Makoto looked back at her friend with a frightful expression. Slowly she lifted the covers up and onto the bed, allowing the other two girls a look underneath. A hairy arachnid lay on its back, eight legs curled tight against its body. It didn't move, even when Makoto bravely prodded it with her foot. Ibuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh good, it's dead!"

The two fighters looked to each other, then back to the ninja. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Ibuki's eyes widened as she suddenly realized what that meant.

"Oh god! It's dead!" She nervously turned her head, as if anticipating the owner coming in. "She's going to find out, and then she's going to blame it on me! Sure I wanted it dead, but I wasn't going to kill it! But that won't matter to her, she'll find me, and then she'll torture me until I wish for death!"

"Now calm down Ibuki," Makoto said, raising her hands. "I'm sure she'll be reasonable."

"Reasonable?" Ibuki repeated, falling to the ground on her rump. "This is Juri Han we're talking about!"

While Ibuki ranted on about her 'inevitable demise', Sakura looked past the tarantula's corpse. An overturned shoebox filled with blank paper and pencils was located near her right, while a plastic container with painting supplies was to the left. She reached forward and, managing to not touch the spider, pulled a black notebook out from underneath the bed.

The notebook was covered with leather as well as a small silver lock on one side. On closer inspection, the lock had an engraving of a butterfly. Curious, Sakura trailed her fingers along the grooves of the image. No doubt about it, it was the notebook Juri talked about last night, the one she had in her possession for so long. When she tried to open it, she encountered no resistance whatsoever. She left it closed for now.

"Hey Mak, look at this."

Makoto turned away from her distraught friend to stare at the item in Sakura's hands. She approached her and got on her knees as to get a closer look.

"Is this-"

"It is, and it's unlocked too."

"Ibuki, shut up for a minute and come over here," Makoto said bluntly, beckoning to her without making eye contact.

Sniveling, the young ninja crawled over to the other girls and peeked over the karate fighter's broad shoulders. Overcome by curiosity, Sakura slowly opened the notebook. All of the drawings Juri had spoken of had been taken out and organized in personal files somewhere, possibly in another box under the bed. All that was left inside was the Han family portrait, lovingly framed by the last surviving member.

"I don't get it," Makoto mumbled, shaking her head. "How could she forget about this? There's not a day that goes by that I can't recall my father's death."

Ibuki nodded solemnly, recalling the day her friend was informed by her family that her father finally succumbed to the illness that had plagued his body for years. Her older brother decided to become a businessman to help the family while Makoto continued to fight for her fledgling dojo, driven by her determination to make her father proud, even in death. In a way, her drive was similar to Dan Hibiki's, although she would never admit it.

"Your dad died from cancer, Mak. Juri's dad died because he was doing the right thing… and Shadaloo took offense to that," the ninja mumbled. "But you're right, how could she forget? And why didn't she use a lockpick on this thing in the first place? I mean, I'm no expert, but I bet I could crack that thing."

"You can ask her about her memory, and about this," Sakura said, closing the notebook and handing it to Makoto, "once we find her."

"Do we even want to find her?"

"Yes!" both fighters exclaimed, taking the ninja by surprise.

Before Ibuki could retaliate, a soft knocking was heard from the front door. It was slow and polite, as if the person performing the action had no troubles on his calm mind. Sakura's eyes brightened with joy, and then darkened with disappointment. She knew who was at the door, and she was certain she wouldn't be able to do much with him at the time.

That sense of disappointment did not stop her from getting up and moving out of Juri's room, through the dojo, and to the front door. She opened it up and smiled at the visitor. An Asian man in a dirty white gi looked up at her from the bottom steps. His unkempt brown hair was held up by a red headband, soaked with sweat from hours of activity. He leisurely held a white duffel bag over his shoulder while his free hand hung near his waist, absentmindedly fingering the black belt that supported his gi.

"Ryu-san!"

"Sakura," he addressed her, nodding. "I was told by your brother that I would find you here today."

_'Oh that's right! I was supposed to be at home this morning to prepare for Ryu-san's training!'_ Sakura exclaimed in her mind. "I am so sorry Ryu-san… I don't have my stuff here with me. If I did, I would go with you now, but I can't because there's a problem right now."

"What kind of problem?"

"Juri had a little episode yesterday night and just awhile ago me, Makoto, and Ibuki went into her room to try to talk to her, but she's not there!" Sakura hopped down the front door steps and looked up at Ryu. "Her spider's dead and we think she did something drastic! We have no clue as to where she's gone!"

Ryu's brow furrowed at the mention of a spider. He didn't feel any remorse towards the eight-legged insects when he accidentally crushed one, having had a bad experience with one in his mouth during what was once a restful sleep. But Ryu, soft-spoken and polite, shook his head and folded his arms as he spoke.

"I see. You're searching for your friend in need of a reassuring voice."

"Yes. Did you see her when you walked the path up here? Please Ryu-san, we really need to find her!"

The wandering warrior sighed and closed his eyes as he turned his head away from Sakura. A weak wind lifted the two strands of his red headband up as he stood still. Sakura wanted to pressure her teacher a little more, but she understood that Juri was not his problem, nor did he want it to be. However, he seemed to be concentrating as he searched for a strong fighter nearby. After a few agonizing seconds of waiting, Sakura saw Ryu's eyes open and drift upwards before he returned his attention to her.

"The answer is above you."

Sakura recoiled from her teacher, hurt and irritated.

"A-above me? Ryu-san please! I understood how to do a tatsumaki senpukyaku the first time, so don't think I'm too stupid to understand the answer!"

"I meant that in its literal sense," Ryu replied with a small, reassuring smile. He unfolded his arms and turned to walk away, speaking over his shoulder. "There are only so many wounds the mind and body can heal on their own. I will come back here tomorrow, Sakura, when you are prepared. I wish you luck with your friend."

As Ryu walked off, Sakura tilted her head up to look at the roof. She stared for a minute, watching for any signs of movement. Just as she began to doubt her teacher did a crumpled piece of paper drift away from the roof and into view. The scrap hovered in the wind for a moment before flying off into the nearby trees.

_'That must be one of Juri's drawings… she's on the roof!'_

She ran inside the dojo to see Makoto and Ibuki mulling about in the kitchen. The karate fighter resorted to cleaning the countertops as a way to pass the time while the ninja seemed perfectly content with sitting around, as she feared she was marked for death.

"Hey!" Sakura shouted, getting their attention. "I know where Juri is now!"

"Where is she?" Makoto asked, tossing a rag over her shoulder and into the sink.

"She's on the roof. Come on, we have to get up there!"

"We?" Ibuki repeated, looking between the two other women.

"Yes," Sakura answered, watching as Makoto grabbed her arm. "We."

* * *

><p>While Makoto dragged her friend outside, Sakura looked around for a ladder. She knew the ninja could leap up to the roof on her own power, but she and Makoto couldn't. The Korean didn't need a ladder; she jumped to the top of a cargo plane and survived the fall from it thanks to her powerful legs. When the girls found the ladder, they sent the terrified woman up first.<p>

"Alright, alright, I'll talk to her! Just remember that if I die, it'll be your fault!"

Ibuki slowly made her way across the rooftop of the dojo, treading carefully on the dark colored shingles. The new additions to the building created a new rooftop to travel to, as well as a new brick chimney hidden inside a medium-sized indent. She could see a black and purple belt peeking out from behind the chimney as well as a pair of feet as she cautiously approaches it. She could also hear thoughtful mumbling and the scribbling of a pencil.

She peaked around the chimney to see Juri sitting with her back pressed against it. In her hands was a sketchbook that had seen better days. A chill from the wind brushed against the openings in Ibuki's outfit, making her shudder. To her dismay, Juri noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to face her. The ninja feared the worst when she parted her lips to speak.

"Hey 'Buki!" Juri said with a smile.

"Ahh! Don't hurt me!"

"Hmm? Why would I do that?"

"There you are!" Makoto exclaimed from nearby as she approached Juri. Sakura stepped onto the roof and quickly made her way over to the others. "We were worried about you!"

"Worried about me? Well I'm flattered!" She grinned and resumed working on her drawing. "I was on the roof the whole morning, just drawing away."

Near her side was a discarded carton of rice and a used pair of chopsticks; her lunch. A large plastic bottle of water lay against the chimney. There was a fresh candy wrapper wedged between two shingles. No doubt about it, Juri had been up on the roof for hours before the other girls came to see her. Oddly comforting was the fact that she was in a good mood today when yesterday she was in a sorrowful one.

"I thought you went and did something drastic after what happened yesterday," Sakura said, relieved yet concerned.

Juri turned to face her, grin wiped from her face to be replaced with a frown.

"Something drastic? What do you-" She stopped and thought for a second, thinking that Sakura must have been joking. However, the expression on her face was seriously concerned. She wouldn't joke about something like that. "What do you mean? What did you think I would have done?" she said in a dark, pressing tone.

Sakura didn't answer, nor did Makoto or Ibuki. She nervously glanced at her friends, and then back to Juri, whose expression soured into a grim scowl.

"Don't you _ever _think that I'd do something like that again!" Juri shouted, standing up. "I might have broken down last night and ran out on you three, but that doesn't mean I was going to end it all come morning! Did you think I was going to whine and moan, and then wallow in a puddle of my own tears forever? No!" She jabbed into Sakura's chest with a sharp index finger as she continued to shout in her face. "I get over hardships just like everyone else: in time!"

"I'm so-"

"The thought never crosses my mind, and you wanna know why? One, it's one of the most inane things a person can do to get out of trouble; a coward's way out! Two, I want to keep living this life of mine! And three, it would be such a damn shame and a waste if I'd off myself after all I've been through!"

"Juri I-"

"Or maybe you thought I'd kill someone to get my mind off of that day! Maybe I'd burn a few houses or rip apart a few families for fun on the side, is that what you'd think I'd do?"

"ENOUGH!"

Both women looked over at Makoto, who was trying hard to not slap them both out of exasperation.

"Juri, you're overreacting! Sakura, when you said 'drastic', I thought of running away, not suicide! Ibuki-" She looked over at Ibuki, who was slowly slinking away from the whole ordeal. "Ibuki! Get back here! She's not going to kill you!"

"Killing someone now would throw me in prison for life, and most likely death row," Juri growled as Ibuki trudged back, defeated. "A bloody nose would really blow off some steam…"

"Juri…"

"Alright, alright, I'll calm down." She turned away and folded her arms with a pout. "You've never seen me cry, girls. You've seen Ibuki cry many times after a failed date with some new boy, but never have you seen me cry. I guess I can understand why you'd freak out over it, Sakura." She looked over to Ibuki. "What's wrong with you? Why so nervous?"

"Uh…" The ninja placed her hands in front of her body as a precaution. "Well… your pet spider-"

"Gregor."

"Yeah him. Um, well we kinda…" Ibuki winced and dropped to her knees, letting everything out at once. "We searched your room to try to find out where you went off to, but we couldn't get anything! Then I looked under the bed and I saw the spider dead on its back! I swear I didn't kill him, I swear it!"

"Gregor's dead?" She grunted in astonishment and then waved her hand off to the side in a nonchalant fashion. "That's a relief!"

"What?" three girls said in unison.

"Gregor was old… really old. I got him during my first few months in S.I.N. I figured either Ibuki or I would eventually squash him one of these days to put him out of his misery." She sighed and shook her head. "Don't get me wrong, I really cared for that hairy bug. In an organization where loose lips could get you killed, Gregor became the only creature that I could talk to, not counting that chrome bastard."

"So, you're not going to hurt me?" Ibuki mumbled, twiddling her fingers together.

"No, not unless you're the masochistic kind of girl," Juri replied with a smile.

"Well, now that we found you and know that you're alright," Sakura started, sitting down, "we had some questions about the whole… well, your whole time in S.I.N."

Juri raised a hand to stop Sakura from going any further.

"I know what you're going to ask, and I asked myself the same questions back then. I'll try to answer them as I go along."

She brushed her notebook aside and sat down on the rooftop. The sun was directly overhead at the time, dousing the dojo in its warm light. There wasn't much else to do in the day for the three young women, and so they sat down and waited for their older friend to speak. Her raven colored hair fell to her shoulders, and she flicked a strand away from her face as she began.

"Let's continue the story, shall we? Uh, where did I last leave off?"

"Last thing you told us was that you got drunk," Makoto answered, bluntly.

"Oh yeah. I was always drunk… just not on wine. I was in a deep pit, and I needed to climb out. But I couldn't do it alone…"

* * *

><p><em>Two years ago at the S.I.N. headquarters in [Undisclosed location]…<em>

* * *

><p><em>She stared at the knife in her hands. It was a fine weapon, manufactured by some foreign country. The leather handle was pressed against her palm and hidden underneath her pale fingers. Gleaming brilliantly in the dull light of the room was the blade, sleek in appearance and as sharp as diamonds. She admired the appearance of it all, and the strength it possessed.<em>

_ Whimpers of pain were heard from her right, but she paid them no mind. All she cared about was the knife. It seemed strange to her, how she could vividly remember such a weapon from five years ago. Of course she had a photographic memory that prevented her from getting lost and allowed her to remember faces perfectly, but items were tricky. She remembered how the blade was quickly dragged over a strong woman's throat, silencing her forever._

_ The memory placed sorrow into her heart, but anger and rage drove it away. In one second the blade was embedded in the chest of a man whose whimpers had agitated her for too long. Twisting it further inside, she perforated the man's life-giving organ. She watched with interest as the life drained from his right eye, for his left eye had been recently destroyed to suit Hammurabi's ancient, infamous code. She removed her hands from the leather handle once blood began to seep from the wound._

_ The man's posture weakened as his vitality waned. Crude restraints consisting of tight rope kept the man's legs attached to the legs of a wooden chair. His wrists were held tightly together against the back of the chair, while his arms were tied to the sides. Dirty blond hair fell in front of his bruised face as his head sagged forward. A bandana was wrapped around his head and over his mouth, which prevented the young woman from hearing his final grunt before he succumbed to his wound._

_ Her right eye widened when she understood what she had done. She had killed a man in cold blood. Was it murder, or was it revenge? After all, if the man took the life of someone she loved, it was fitting for her to take his life. Deep in her heart, she knew that this life wouldn't be the last one she would take. A muffled scream to her right confirmed that._

_ She approached another man, confined to a chair in the same fashion as his partner. He appeared to have numerous welts, bruises, and injuries, as well as many noticeable wounds on his head and thighs. Blood trickled down his forehead. The young raven-haired woman cupped the man's face in one hand and lifted it up to get a better look at him. His jade green eyes pleaded for mercy, but the woman would grant him none._

_ Scowling, she removed her hand to fiercely slap his face with her other. He cried out and writhed against his tormentor, which only earned him a punch to the stomach, knocking his breath away. A small leather pouch was held close to the woman's side, and it held something inside. It was the holster to a firearm, both of which were taken from the two-eyed man._

_ Pulling the gun out from its holster, she held it in one hand as she examined it. It was completely black and felt heavy in her hands despite how little it seemed. As she fumbled with the barrel, she shook her head at the concept of the weapon being the one from five years ago. The knife was the same, she was sure, but the pistol couldn't be. To make sure, she placed the butt of the firearm against her cheek, where she remembered being stuck._

_ Cold, black steel brushed against her skin. After a few adjustments, she found the precise location to which she had been struck at long ago. The blunt weapon fit her invisible bruise perfectly. Irritated by the man's constant mutterings of pain, she flipped the firearm up to grab it by the barrel and slammed it against the man's head, breaking his nose. There needed to be more evidence. She needed to know if the weapon in her hands really was the one the man had used to destroy another loved one._

_ Readjusting her grip on the pistol, she snaked her index finger around the grip and found the iron trigger. She pointed the weapon at the man's leg, and, after hearing another muffled scream, discharged a bullet. A loud, ear shattering sound filled the small, dimly lit room. It was one the raven-haired woman knew well, for she had heard it before, when her father was killed._

_ Another shot rocked the room, tearing into the man's abdomen. All doubt was erased from the now furious woman's mind, as was any sense of mercy or sympathy. She was vindictive. Her pain was lessened now that the man who took her left eye and mother's life was dead, and now it would lessened even further, with the inevitable death of the man who stole her father's life, and her innocence._

_ The raven-haired woman fired another shot directly into the man's stomach, watching with an angry, yet bemused expression as blood poured from three gunshot wounds. She raised the firearm to point at his head after a few minutes of watching him writhe and pulled the trigger again. A sharp clicking noise greeted her action, notifying her that the magazine was empty. She disregarded the noise and threw the handgun aside, opting to kill the man once and for all with her own skills._

_ She reeled her leg back and struck forward with it, smashing it into the side of the man's head. He leaned to the side, taking the chair he was constrained to with him as he fell to the cold, bloody floor. Eyes glazed with pain and fear, the man watched as the woman approached him and raised her foot over his head. Blood was slowly leaving his body; it would take a few terrible minutes before his life left him forever. He silently begged for the woman to crush him and end his misery._

_ But she knew what he wanted and relented. She placed her foot next to his head, denying him release from her torment. He didn't deserve a quick death, not after all he had done to her. Instead, she turned on her heel and sauntered away from his pathetic form, feeling strangely content. A feeling of triumph and power turned the corners of her mouth up into a malicious smile. She had the power; she had control over the man's fate, and she loved every second of it._

_ Once she reached the door out of the room, she turned back to the man, whose eyes pleaded for mercy. His body quivered as he lay in a puddle of his own blood. No matter how pitiful and pathetic he looked, death would not come to him as quickly as he would like. He would writhe in agony until every drop of blood left him. The raven-haired woman with the one violet eye giggled darkly and waved to him as she stepped foot outside._

_ "Farewell!"_

* * *

><p>Juri awoke in a cold sweat.<p>

Her hands languidly grasped and kneaded the fabric of her bed sheets as her eyes slowly fluttered open. Everything was blurry to her, and she couldn't even make out a single shape. The sheets underneath her were slightly moistened by her sweat while the surrounding area was dry yet cold, for it received no love from the Korean's warm body during the night. Mumbling to herself, Juri's eyelids became heavy once again and persuaded her to fall back to the depths of sleep.

Suddenly a terrible, bloodcurdling screech rolled into her head. She shouted in surprise and gripped her head. It felt like two choirs of banshees were at either ear, wailing and screaming as loud as they could. Overcome by the sound, she accidentally rolled over to her side and off the side of the bed to fall onto the hardwood floor below. Another shout, but it was one of pain. When it seemed as if she couldn't do much more than grit her teeth and try to persevere through her torture, she lashed out with her foot at the source of the sound.

Flesh met wood, sending an abysmal amount of pain through her foot. Her attack was not in vain, for the wooden end table she kicked wobbled and dislodged a small contraption. The device fell to the floor, where it broke into a few pieces. Immediately the screeching stopped.

Juri opened her eyes to look out to the white carpet that surrounded the hardwood floor underneath her bed. Thanks to the noise from the alarm clock as well as movement from the ruler of S.I.N., the room's automated lighting systems bathed the area in bright light. It stung at her violet, bloodshot eyes, mocking her discomfort. She got to her hands and knees after she got used to the feeling.

As she pushed herself up, a tremendous pain in her head rocked her, sending her back to the floor in a heap. Groaning, she held her head again. A headache was to be expected in the morning, given what she did last night. Distraught over the sudden and untimely realization that she had murdered countless innocents in a selfish quest for power, going against her values, and the immense feelings of shame and regret, Juri drowned her sorrows in two bottles of red wine. Not exactly the smartest thing to do, but she didn't care then.

After a minute, the pressure in her throbbing head subsided, granting Juri a window of opportunity to stand. She promptly did so, keeping one hand rooted to her forehead while the other was out to steady herself. Her legs wobbled as she slowly trudged forward towards the broken mirror in the room. A discarded, empty bottle of wine almost made her lose her balance, but she managed to right herself before she fell again.

Glass shards threatened to cut into her bare feet. Whatever wounds she would receive would quickly close, she knew, for the power that radiated from her left eye granted such healing capabilities. She looked into the cracked piece of reflective glass on the wall and rolled up her left pants leg, where she noticed that the scar given to her by Satoya during her possessed rampage had vanished completely. Physical scars healed quickly for her.

Mental ones did not.

She groggily shook her head, not in the shape or mindset to dwell on such a thought. Instead, she stared at her own reflection, finding that there were too many faces to count between every single crack. Only pieces remained of what was once a beautiful, tortured mind, she thought, comparing it to the broken mirror. No matter what she did, she couldn't put everything back together the way it was; the way it used to be before that fateful day that claimed the lives of her parents.

It made her nauseous to think that she was beyond help. Even more sickening was how she could forget the reason why she did all that she did. She didn't choose to forget, for to her, that would be the worst thing imaginable to do. A reasonable answer was to say she simply forgot, and she was tempted to leave it at that. However, there needed to be a reason for her forgetfulness.

Then a realization struck her, driving her to scowl and glare at the figures in the mirror. The cybernetic organ that was her left eye caused her to forget her pains every time it was activated. Of course, she had the will to activate it, so in reality, she buried her pain and values away herself to avoid being held back. With a great sickness brewing in the pit of her stomach, Juri thought of one ironic statement:

The eye made her blind.

Blind to all consequences that would befall her and everything that would hold her back, the eye and its power intoxicated Juri beyond belief. All she cared about was fulfilling her own selfish desires, whether it be sadistic entertainment or cunning betrayal.

Despite the truth behind that statement, the want to berate herself, the need to recollect, and the never-ending headache, Juri couldn't shake the overwhelming sensation of nausea in her stomach. It stabbed at her insides, forcing her to cover her mouth with her hand. She knew what was going to happen, and she wouldn't do it in the bedroom. Disregarding the instability of her legs and the throbbing in her head, she ran to the door.

März clicked her heels together and saluted with her right hand once she saw her master leave her bedroom. Her left hand held a slim package close to her side, which was meant to be delivered to Juri. Even when Juri ran past her to move into the opposite room, the doll's posture never changed. So she was ignored, but that didn't mean the obedient woman could slouch.

Closing the door behind her with a bang, Juri found the toilet and grabbed onto the bowl for dear life. Everything that she drank last night escaped her stomach, went up her throat, and out of her mouth to fall into the toilet. A person with a low body weight suffered more from alcohol than one with a high body weight. Barely over one-hundred pounds, Juri's hangover would be long and torturous.

Juri wasn't thinking about alcohol consumption in relation to weight or the rest of her day. All she cared about was liberating the bile that rested in her stomach. She gagged and coughed in between vomiting intervals, incapable of doing anything else but that. Breathing was hard to do, and when she began to think that she would suffocate on her own vomit, she stopped emptying her stomach.

A disgusting taste was left in her mouth and stuck between her teeth. She spat into the soiled bowl numerous times before sagging to the linoleum floor, too exhausted to move. Her eyelids fluttered, trying to determine whether or not to allow the woman to pass out or to keep her awake. The toilet answered the question of consciousness with a gurgle before it flushed automatically, nudging Juri back awake.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled.

Of course, negotiating with a bathroom utility was as meaningful as watching paint dry. A spark of once-suppressed vigor compelled Juri to stand back up. She gripped the bowl again and coughed as she wobbled up. Although the problem of the remaining alcohol in her system was somewhat solved, she was not yet in the right condition to face the day.

With her cold sweat and the fact that she hadn't showered yesterday, she decided to take a shower in the morning to awake her senses. Seth's large luxurious tub beckoned to her, but in the back of her mind she believed she didn't deserve to bathe in there. A large, equally luxurious stand-up shower was wedged between the sink and the far wall. She moved to the glass enclosure and sluggishly undressed.

She stepped inside and fiddled with the lavish valves. A stream of warm water fell upon her, causing her to shudder. Yawning, Juri lowered herself to the floor and sat against the back wall. She drew herself in by taking her knees and holding them close to her chest. As she did that, she noticed her right hand and what lay beneath her fingernails.

Satoya's blood remained under her fingernails from two days ago. She knew he deserved to die, for he had betrayed her and attempted to murder her, and she also knew that there were other people who didn't deserve to die, yet they were killed anyway. She imagined the blood falling from her fingernails to slowly cover her hands as she thought of all she had killed. It didn't matter if it was innocent blood or guilty blood; the spots on her hands would never come out.

Whimpering, Juri closed her bloodshot eyes and opened them again, forcing her imagined blood to fade away. She then moved around the shower and cleaned herself the best she could in her hungover state. At times the headache would hamper her, but she would shake it off by quickly switching the water's temperature to freezing cold temporarily. In a few minutes, she stumbled out of the shower with a towel wrapped around her body.

She approached a mirror above the bathroom sink and gazed at herself. A tired young woman stared back at her with a downtrodden expression. Wet, raven-colored hair touched her shoulders. An eye that had witnessed pain served as her right. An eye that inflicted pain served as her left. Juri turned her attention to her mirrored doppelganger's right eye; the Feng Shui Engine.

A part of her loathed the cybernetic contraption for all that it put her through. She would admit the power it granted was a welcome gift, but the aftereffects of it only drove her to search for more. In her insatiable quest for power, she deliberately drove wedges between alliances, destroyed tremendous amounts of property, and tore families apart. Guilt and shame screamed at her to remove the eye and end the temptations once and for all, but a tiny voice of reasoning held her back.

The other part of her enjoyed the eye, not for what evil it made her do, but for what it allowed her to do. Before the operation, she could manipulate her own ki energy to suit a certain need, but it wasn't suited for fighting. When Seth approached her and made his offer, Juri knew she couldn't refuse it. She needed the eye, not just for restored depth perception, but for a fighting chance at surviving and extracting revenge on the man who orchestrated the attack on her family.

At least, she thought she needed it then.

"Just what have I become?" she asked her reflection before her headache attacked again.

She reached for the mirror and opened a hatch on the side, revealing a cabinet filled with over-the-counter medicine. The pain in her head was surely out to kill her, but at least it could be alleviated with a couple aspirin, supposedly. She removed what she needed from a container and filled a glass of water up from the sink. The small white tablets were washed down her throat; hopefully they would help to ease her pain. Before she was finished, she filled up another glass and downed it, feeling dehydrated from all the alcohol she had drank.

Juri moved out of the bathroom and looked to März, who snapped her heels and saluted again. She wanted to growl in disgust, for she had saluted her even when ordered not to, but the slim white box she held close to her side made her curious instead of angry. When she approached the doll, she found the box presented to her. She looked into the dull eyes of her servant and felt a tinge of guilt.

The doll was just a human being who had the bad fortune of being a brainwashed member of Shadaloo. Add that fact with the knowing that Juri had stolen her and her sisters originally to be slaughtered, then to serve, only made the guilt worse for her. She pushed the feeling away for the time being and took the box off of the doll's hands.

"…Thanks," she muttered as she looked at the tag on the box. "Gene's Godly Garments; custom outfits for the discerning customer… hmm…"

The box didn't have her name on it, but that was only for safety purposes. If the member who sent for the package made it clear it was for Juri Han in S.I.N. when she requested it, the clothes would never reach her and the member would most definitely be taken into custody. Subtlety was the name of the game, and even though Juri wasn't as infamous as Bison, she needed to keep a low profile. She pulled her towel up further and moved into her room with the box under her arm.

Depositing the box on her unmade bed, Juri reached for the sides and lifted. Inside was a small arrangement of garments that when worn together would form an outfit strikingly similar to her regular taekwando uniform. A black breastplate with dark purple accents was removed from the top of the pile along with long dark violet gloves, which would go along with her existing spiked bracelets. A pair of purple tights were set aside as she grabbed at a midnight black pair of trousers. She could use her belt with this.

If given to her yesterday in the morning, Juri would have no problem against wearing it. Purple was her favorite color, and she enjoyed black. Now, she felt apprehensive about wearing the outfit. She knew she couldn't wear her regular one, for it had been worn for two days straight and was in need of a wash, but she also knew that the person who would have loved to wear the new, darker outfit wasn't her anymore.

A small squeak tore her attention away from the box and its contents. Juri glared at a hairy creature on her pillow.

"How the hell did you get out again?"

The tarantula quivered from the tone of its caretaker's voice. She sounded agitated and exasperated; hostile even! Normally she would smile and shake her head before lovingly scooping it up and placing it back into its enclosure. The creature's eight eyes seemed glazed over with fear as it stared back at her.

"Gregor," Juri addressed the spider, placing an up-turned hand on the bed, "get over here. Now."

Shuddering, the insect moved as quickly as it could backwards, which was dreadfully slow compared to the speed a smaller spider could move at. Juri growled and nudged her box to the side. With one hand supporting her towel and the other helping her forward, she crawled forward to get on top of her bed. Gregor disappeared over the white pillow.

"Get back here you eight-legged freak! I'm not in the mood to deal with you!"

In one swift move the pillow was grabbed and lifted into the air. Immediately Juri's angry expression turned to sorrowful recollection as she looked upon her pet and what it was perched on. The black notebook laid face down with a few scraps peeking out from its leaves. In her drunken state she had kept the notebook close as if it were a teddy bear.

In the back of her mind, she knew she couldn't believe Seth was above hiding things from her. He hid things all the time, but it wasn't always an entity. In his position, power came from not only physical strength but knowledge, and hiding information from those below him guaranteed his position as well as denying others the chance to cross him. Speaking in other languages was an infuriating tactic he used when telling the truth, for he knew hardly anyone could understand him, especially his Korean confidante.

Juri reached forward to grab the notebook to see her parents again. Just as she touched the leather material, she stopped and drew back. She couldn't stand to look at herself, and she wouldn't stand to look at her parents either. The little girl between them grew up to become a monster, and how shameful it was for her that she forgot something so important.

"B-but... I'm not a monster..." she muttered sadly as she clutched the pillow close to her chest.

She could never forgive herself for all that she had done, and if she couldn't do that, she could never forget it.

Something hairy brushed against her knee. Juri pushed the pillow away and looked down at her pet, who was tapping at her leg in an attempt to climb her. A weak smile graced her lips as she offered the creature a hand. Gregor approached the hand after much hesitation and rode it up to its master's face.

"...I'm sorry I snapped at you sweetie..." She softly stroked the spider's body with her other hand as she said, "Can you forgive me?"

The spider at first seemed indifferent to the plea and the feeling of her skin brushing its hairs. It knew, however, that it didn't quite have the mental capacity to hold grudges, thus the spider squeaked once and quivered in acceptance. Its eyes went back to a curious and sympathetic shade of black as it slowly rotated around to make certain its master's hand covered every inch of its small body.

"You're not a monster either, Gregor..." Juri said with a chuckle. "...Even though you look like one."

She carefully moved off of the bed and deposited her pet inside its glass enclosure. Smiling wider, Juri reached into a mini-fridge and pulled out a bag filled with water and a few exotic fish. She had claimed Seth's large fish tank as her own and stored the fish away as food for her pet. A meaty-looking fish was dropped into the closure for Gregor, who quickly moved to pin the unfortunate morsel down.

A chill brushed against Juri's exposed skin. As much as she wanted to take a few hours off to recover, she knew she needed to get dressed and get to work. She was the new leader of S.I.N., after all. But deep in her tortured heart, she didn't want the position. Still, she had it, and she needed to keep working, for there was nothing she could think of other than that.

"I'm not a monster," she said as she moved back to the bed to look at her new clothes. "But I need to look like one."

Taking the opportunity, Juri tossed her towel aside and put on the outfit. The outfit would surely make up for her lack of intimidation due to her hangover. She found her spiked bracelets and put them on her wrists, finding them slightly heavier than they used to. She accounted that feeling to the fact that she hadn't worn them since the day she took over.

Fully dressed, and continuing to suffer from the headache, Juri moved to the bedroom's exit. She turned and wearily blew a kiss to her pet, which was too engrossed in devouring its prey to notice. Sighing, she stepped out and went into the bathroom to fill one of her pockets with a few aspirin tablets. After getting another drink from the sink, she looked to the mirror.

Her eyes were still bloodshot, and there wasn't much she could do about it. She could hide them with sunglasses, but she feared not being able to see with them on. A small makeup kit rested nearby on the counter which was filled with all sorts of supplies that could hide a few physical signs of a hangover. Normally Juri wouldn't be bothered with makeup, for she had no-one to gussy up for. Now, it was necessary to make her look more intimidating and less approachable, for she did not want anyone to know of her condition.

It took a decent amount of effort from the lethargic Korean, but soon, Juri's face was graced with a touch of black eyeliner and mascara. Her hygiene needed more attention, thus, she cleaned her teeth and tongue. Twice. She tended to her hair last, putting it back into its usual devil horns style. Hopefully no-one would stare at her for too long to notice her hangover.

She popped another aspirin into her mouth and lumbered outside to the main room. März made a move to salute her but Juri shot her down with a quick glare. Choosing not to chastise her doll for the act, Juri beckoned with her hand for her to follow as she tapped a control panel to open the main door. Once she exited, she heard the sounds of heels snapping together and posture quickly being corrected.

The two men who guarded her door were on either side of her. Their gaze was lifted and directed forward as to not anger their leader, who did not take kindly to stares from the men on duty. For both of them, on one of their thighs was a weapon holster, which was filled with a powerful sidearm. In each of their hands was an assault rifle.

Juri stared at them for a few seconds before lowering her gaze to their weapons. A familiar sense of anger and dread gripped her as she continued to look. She remembered how it felt having the barrel pressed into her back as she moved in Seth's study on her first day in S.I.N. She was bitter and hostile, and with nothing to lose. Robbed of everything but the overwhelming desire for revenge, Juri was prepared to do anything.

Seth offered her everything, granted she behaved and did as she was told. To her, the presence of that synthetic human frightened her, but she did not show it externally. She knew that she was the lowest grunt, a pawn in his schemes. With his intimidating appearance and the guns pointed at her from behind, she made the wise choice of giving into his demands. She didn't promise that she would behave, however.

The chrome puppetmaster was a strange one who shared many similarities with his creator: . He despised human wheedling and excuses, but tolerated many of Juri's actions and outbursts. He was a being who would occasionally speak with those below him instead of simply speaking to them. When he spoke, people listened not because he was feared, but because he was respected and professional. Morals never clouded his judgement, and neither did it cloud Juri's.

To instill trust in his new confidante, Seth needed to do something for her. After her first year of rocky yet appreciated service, he delivered to her a package from Bison. Having absolutely no sympathy towards other humans, Bison had no qualms over losing the two grunts who had carried out his orders in South Korea. Juri would experience her first taste of revenge against the people who killed her parents, starting with the two who did the deed personally.

The men were led into an empty meeting room. They had been promised guard positions at S.I.N. and were awaiting the arrival of the chief of security, but instead of a short blond woman, they were greeted with a vengeful young woman with raven hair and one violet eye. All those years she spent growing up without parents and a home were attributed to those two men, and she did everything in her power to make them suffer like she did.

After she extracted her merciless revenge, she left the room with a profound sense of accomplishment. Of course she felt nauseous over the fact that she took lives for the first time, but soon those feelings faded away along with the sense of remorse. The men deserved to die, and she knew more had to die before she thirst for revenge was sated. In time, her thirst for revenge turned to a desire for power once the Feng Shui Engine was applied.

"Ma'am?"

Juri snapped her head up to look at the guard. She knew the other was looking at her questionably from behind. Time must have slipped through her fingers, for the guards would never speak to her unless they were spoken to, it was an emergency, or something needed to be brought to her attention.

"Are you alright?" the guard boldly asked.

"I'm fine," Juri replied, more coldly than usual.

The guard slowly lowered his gaze and frowned, anticipating a strike. However, Juri ignored him and walked forward, muttering something under her breath. She almost stumbled down the small steps, but thankfully she composed herself before her guards realized her condition. With März behind her, she moved into the corridors of the area.

She knew it would be a long and torturous day.

* * *

><p>Sounds of lab equipment filled the lab levels of the facility. The new head of the medical division poured the contents of the coffee pot into his black travel mug from the coffee tray in the middle of the level. New workers underneath him were very patient with him, and were sympathetic towards his treatment yesterday. A cast encased his broken right hand, an injury given to him by the paranoid leader of S.I.N. He knew he was walking on eggshells, but as long as he played it safe, he would be fine, or at least remain in working condition.<p>

Before he pressed the mug against his lips, a calm voice from behind stopped him. He set the mug down and turned to face his new assistant, who was as young as he was. She reached forward and took hold of his right hand tentatively as she inspected it, being careful not to cause the new med-tech head pain. In her old life, she used to be a nurse who helped people. Now, all she did was develop medicine for terrible people and help with the B.L.E.C.E. project. Like a few others in her division, she swallowed her sense of morals to persevere.

"How's the hand?" she asked softly.

"Hurts," the head replied with a sad smile and a nod.

"Well, try not to touch anything with it," she said as she dropped his hand.

"That's going to be a problem, since I'm right-handed..."

The young assistant sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, and that's not all of your troubles. Richard over in data management lost one of his hard drives to a virus. He got everything sorted out eventually, but it's going to take him a week until he gets his data back, and he's going to want your help." She counted off her fingers as she continued. "Test results came back inconclusive; we'll need to put together another experiment. Lynda had a flashdrive on her during that... slaughter in the FSE room on Saturday. Guards are searching for her body, so let's hope she turns up soon. Speaking of that..." She folded her hands and looked around. "Did you hear about what happened yesterday?"

Giving the assistant a knowing look, the head nodded.

"Yeah, the head of the battle suit division tried to assassinate her, but failed. I don't know what she was thinking; Han is too powerful to be killed. 15 was pretty strong himself from what I've heard, but not stronger than her, and definitely not stronger than that man from Shadaloo." He shook his head and looked away. "I've been hearing rumors about yesterday. Crimson Viper apparently was the one leaking information on S.I.N. to the American C.I.A., and she set Han up for many encounters with Interpol, freelance assassins, and some British paramilitary group." Scowling, he added, "Shame she didn't get caught back then. It would have saved us a lot of trouble."

His expression softened as he looked up to his assistant.

"What's your take on all of this?"

No answer. He looked at her for a few seconds, figuring she was thinking before stating her opinion. Her eyes were fixed on him, but every two seconds she seemed to focus on something behind him. A cold sweat came over the man as he worked on an explanation for her silence. Sounds of slurping came from behind him, and he slowly turned to face them.

A woman dressed in black and purple greeted his eyes. Her hairstyle was in its same form as yesterday: odd, inappropriate, and frightening. The black travel mug was pressed against her lips as she drank the contents. One of the new S.I.N. dolls stood near her with its fingers twitching in anticipation for a strike from one of the scientists, which never came. Juri didn't seem to care that the coffee wasn't her blend, but that was possibly attributed to the fact that many packets of cream were littered around her feet, which disguised the taste.

There was no doubt that she had heard what he had said, and the man was certain he would be attacked. He gulped and positioned his hands behind him out of fear that she would break his left. Unfortunately for him, his action caught the attention of the leader, who turned an eye all red and bleary. An eerie silence set between the four individuals. She could have easily killed him at this point for insubordination, and he knew it. Instead, Juri tilted the mug up further to make certain that she got every drop of caffeine into her system.

She lowered the mug and wiped her mouth on the back of her glove before looking at it for a moment. The sense of fear that emitted from the two scientists was strong at that point. She turned to look at the man and scowled; an expression that only meant ill for the scientist. Surprising the man, Juri extended her arm out to him and shoved the mug into his chest. He slowly reached up to take it as the leader spoke.

"Thanks for the coffee..." she mumbled with a glare.

As she walked away from the two with her doll, she could hear the sound of knees crashing to the floor as well as a soft whimper of astonishment. Indifference guided her actions then, as did rationality. She didn't care that the new head didn't hold her in the highest sense of regard just as long as he did his job. She believed that she had to spare him, for there weren't enough qualified individuals to take his place. If he were wise, he would use the frightening experience as a reason to hold his tongue.

Juri shook her head and reached into her pocket to pull out another aspirin pill. Being a lightweight, she needed more than just one, for the headache would be practically unbearable without extra help. She widened her eyes when she realized that there was a hole in her pocket.

"Damn foreign outfitters," she grumbled. "They can get the outside work done, but the insides unravel as if I was the one who made them... I was the one who made this life for me... How could I be so goddamned stupid?"

Her anger shifted from her loss of pain relievers to herself in the blink of an eye. She hated what she had become, and the things she had to do to get things done. In an organization such as S.I.N., she was supposed to function like anyone else: without mercy, without compassion, without remorse. Everything depended on that, but she felt an abysmal amount of regret now because of it.

She began to wonder whether or not she even wanted to be a member of S.I.N.

* * *

><p>Diagnostic reports. Strange research. Radio channel analysis. Shipping manifests. All was included in the files Juri had spread across her desk. She had decided to do all of her work in her quarters out of fear that in her current state she would make a mistake. She was sluggish, withdrawn, and without confidence in everything that she did. Thankfully the other members of S.I.N. kept their distance from her, so they weren't able to realize her enlightened yet depressed condition.<p>

Tossing a spent pen over her shoulder, Juri leaned back in her chair and stared dully at the files in front of her.

'_Why am I even doing this? I should be out training or... or at least taking a load off.' _Sighing, Juri shook her head. _'Because I got piss-drunk yesterday and if I go out again I risk getting myself compromised.'_

She stood up and placed her hands on the table. While she would have liked to relax, or at least try to, she knew that she would have to get to the files eventually. It was inevitable that if she neglected her work, a scientist would attempt to press her until she returned the files that they needed. Of course, as soon as she left the tranquility of her quarters would she be assaulted with another file that demanded her attention.

'_Dishonoring your parents, going against everything they once stood for, going against everything YOU once stood for, destroying families, and killing random scientists. Yeppers, this is the high life right here, Juri.'_

She tilted her head and reached for small scrap of paper that stuck out underneath a heavy file. Wetting her lips with her tongue, she pulled out the paper and examined it. It was her drawing of Chun-Li from yesterday. The fierce expression on the woman's face and the position of the legs made it clear she was fighting, and if anyone didn't know better, they would say Juri drew it from memory. And they would be right.

Besides her fighting prowess, drawing ability, and Feng Shui Engine, Juri also possessed a photographic memory. Directions and maps were never looked at twice, for she never forgot her way around. Language was easy for her to understand, for the facial expressions people made made it easy to understand what a person meant. As for faces, remembering them was a cinch. She could never forget a face. As for traumatizing experiences involving the death of parents... those, unfortunately, could be forgotten.

"I bet you want me dead, don't you?" she said to the drawing. "I don't blame you for wanting that, what with what I did to you the first time we met. If you don't believe I deserve death, then your little pigtailed partner does."

She looked to her right and approached her console in the main room. Data that was once important to both her and Seth dashed across the screens. Now, her eyes were glazed with indifference.

A small part of her wanted things to go back to the way they were before the death of her parents, but that was simply wishful thinking. Back to the way things were before the death of Seth? Now that would just persuade Juri to push away more of her past. Things would continue as usual, with her being the sadistic and psychotic lunatic everyone expects her to be. It was a mistake to take Seth's position, and Juri would either crumble under the responsibility or ride the dark train as far as possible.

"A mistake..." Her eyes widened as she took a step back in realization. "Wait! What did he say to me?"

* * *

><p><em>A fist covered in wrappings embedded itself in Juri's stomach. Immediately she felt her breath leave her as she cringed against the blow. Gasping for breath, she struggled to look up at her attacker. A large, bald man stared back at her with an apathetic expression. His right eye was covered with an eyepatch, for he had nothing behind it. On his chest was a large, painful looking scar.<em>

_Juri pried herself away from the man's fist and sidestepped to the right to swing her leg in a roundhouse kick. To her dismay, the man blocked her strike with his elbow. She grunted in shock and crouched low to sweep his legs out from under him. Her strong leg hit his and stayed there, doing nothing to fell the Muay Thai giant. _

_The man reached down to grab the scruff of her neck and lifted her off her feet. Like a unruly animal, Juri flailed her arms and legs, but to no effect. There was nothing she could do to prevent the man from rocketing his knee into her stomach. A snap came from deep inside her, driving her wild with spasms of pain. She was certain after the second impact that the man had broken one of her ribs. The third strike crashed into her chin as she felt the man release his hold on her._

_She fell back a few feet and crumpled to the floor like a neglected ragdoll. The copper taste of blood was present in her mouth, and some of it dribbled down her chin. Whimpering, Juri turned over to her side and managed to push herself up. She spat at the fighting mat underneath her and glared at the man. Bits of purple energy cackled at her fingertips for a brief moment, showing that she was no ordinary fighter._

_Growling out of anger from the woman's stubbornness, the giant revealed his own inner power. His hands glowed a bright orange as he concentrated his ki energy. Reeling back, he sent his fists forward and released a ki projectile towards Juri, who braced herself against his attack. Sharp pains in her side kept her from fully blocking, which resulted in her crying out in shock as she was pushed back by the projectile._

_Another shot of orange energy knocked her off her feet and onto her back. Juri allowed a tear to fall as she gritted her teeth. She could hear the heavy footsteps of the man approaching her and struggled to get back to her feet. But with all the pain in her system, she felt like a turtle on its back. The man entered her vision and stared down at her. He folded his arms and shook his head when she managed to get up into a sitting position._

"_W-what are you stopping for?" Juri shouted, holding her side. "Keep those attacks coming; I can block them!"_

_Sighing, the giant clenched a fist and drew back. Juri cringed and got on her knees. If she was going to be knocked out, she would take it full on, but with her eye closed. Time seemed to pass by at a snail's pace as she waited for the strike. She heard a grunt before the man spoke._

"_Get up!" he barked._

_Juri opened her right eye and looked forward, confused yet angry still. The giant stood nearby with his arms in the same folded position. His lips were contorted in a disapproving scowl. The young taekwando fighter scowled herself and struggled to stand, finding the strength to do so. She lifted her arms and clenched her fists, still eager to fight despite her condition._

"_There is courage, which grips a man and compels him to continue fighting an opponent stronger than he," the man said softly. "And then there is stubbornness," he droned out with a growl, "which persuades men to continue beating the dead horse."_

"_And what am I, Sagat?" Juri spat. "Courageous or stubborn?"_

_He approached her and placed one large hand over her raised fists, pushing them down._

"_The latter. Your mind is devoted to the fight, but your body is damaged and demands rest. You should know your limits, girl." When Juri looked away, Sagat frowned and continued. "Never before has a young woman such as yourself been able to get this far on their own power. You are a strong fighter, Juri." He placed his hand on the top of her head and nudged her to look back at him. "You are also an angry little terror, fighting against everyone you meet as well as yourself. Anger should be your companion, not your tormentor! When you let it consume you, you lose the fight!"_

_Juri managed to get out of his grasp before the man balled his hands into fists. The bright lights of the Shadaloo training area did nothing to ward off the darkness brewing in his soul. With an angry growl, Sagat crouched down to slam a fist into the mat beneath him, which left a sizable indent in the grubby, bloody material. His scar seemed to glow an eerie orange as he continued punching the ground._

_After a few moments of beating an imaginary, downed opponent, he looked up at Juri. There was fear in her eye, for she knew that if he was irate when she fought him days ago, there would be nothing to stop him from unleashing his punishment upon her defeated form. She considered herself lucky that he offered his hand to her as a show of good faith. She didn't take his hand then, and she knew because of that fact that she wasn't offered his hand again today._

"_Look at me!" Sagat roared, pointing to himself. "Do you want to become like me? Furious and vindictive? Because of one large upset, I am racked with anger, humiliation, and impatience!" He diverted his attention to his scar as he ran his fingers across it, lowering his voice. "This scar is a stigma of my defeat... I have lost the meaning of the fight; now the only thing I have left is an overwhelming sense of vengeance."_

_He looked back to Juri with a frown._

"_That is what we both fight for. Revenge, am I correct?"_

"_Y-yeah," Juri mumbled. "My parents were murdered and my eye was taken by Shadaloo. I need to find the men who did this to me and bring them to justice."_

"_Justice?" Sagat sighed and shook his head. "Girl, if you wish to succeed with extracting your revenge, you must do away with any sense of justice. I find it strange that you would join Shadaloo to find the men you are after when you utterly despise this organization." Looking away, he added, "Then again, I joined Shadaloo myself to exact my revenge on the wandering shotokan who defeated me, so who am I to judge your actions?"_

"_You really took defeat hard," Juri mused. "Was this guy the only one who managed to beat you?"_

"_No. My own student turned against me and took my title in a fight. He thinks he fights like a jaguar, but his actions were similar to that of a hyena, picking a fight with a wounded opponent that he knew he would have trouble with had he been in his prime." Scoffing, Sagat changed the subject. "I know that joining this organization was a mistake, but because of my anger blinding me, I believed I had no other choice. I... I must find that man and defeat him. Maybe then I'll catch a glimpse of what I had lost."_

_He looked to a Shadaloo emblem on the far wall of the room, perched above the exit. Juri followed his gaze to it and frowned, noticing that the emblem was the same as the one on her armband, showing to all that she was an employee… but not for long._

"_You've been here for only a few days," Juri heard Sagat say. She turned to face him again. "And yet, you leave to another rainforest facility with others tomorrow. I will not follow, so you will have to find another to break your bones."_

_His tone was distasteful and cold, but it was also slightly friendly. Juri noticed it and smiled as she turned to walk away. _

"_Juri..." he called out to her. "Keep in mind that whatever challenges you face as you walk the dark path to revenge cannot be overcome by anger and brute force alone. The battles are in the mind as well as in the body. You will win many of them, but you will also lose more of yourself as you continue to walk." With an almost sage-like demeanor, he added, "There is no shame in defeat, provided you learn from your mistakes."_

* * *

><p>"Mistakes..." Juri looked to her dark violet gloves and slowly rubbed her fingers over them. "All that I did to exact my revenge was necessary, but what of the things I've done after that? Murder, destruction, threats, lusting for power... those were mistakes. Wait a minute," she mumbled as she looked up. "If I already got my revenge five years ago, why am I still here?"<p>

She sat on one of the consoles and pondered her question. It was true that she got her revenge, but it wasn't enough. The lives of two men didn't satisfy her, and she still felt strangely incomplete even with the death of Seth and Bison, the two fiends who ruined her life. Shadaloo was finished; there was no doubt about that, but even that wasn't good enough. A piece of that organization lived on in S.I.N., and once Juri realized that, she grimaced.

Shadaloo still scarred the world with its presence, even in its destroyed state. S.I.N. was destined to become the next Shadaloo; it was going to do all that its evil parent did in order to thrive. That could not happen, not on Juri's watch. To exact her final act of revenge, S.I.N. needed to fall to prevent the horrors that fell upon her from happening to others.

"It's time I stop fighting for myself and focus on the big picture," she said to herself. "I've been callous, murderous, vindictive. Well, that stops right here, right now. No longer am I going to stand idly by while these... people kill to further their research. No longer am I going to kill without reason. I've got to stop this. No kid should suffer like I have." She brought a clenched fist to her chest and exhaled. "It's time that I crawl out of this hole that I've dug, but how?"

She reached for the consoles and tapped at one button, thinking all the while. Whatever thoughts of remaining as the leader were gone. The position was not wanted, but it certainly would prove useful. After all, Juri's intimidating looks, her power, and position let her do virtually anything within the boundaries of the facility. But she needed a way to use her assets to drive S.I.N. under.

She was certain she could walk out the front door without any trouble, but soon the workers would get anxious for her return. Chased by the world's military and law enforcement as well as S.I.N., Juri would be compelled to hide or keep running. Freedom was her highest priority, and she needed atonement for her sins to earn it. The organization that she ran needed to be brought to light in order to do that.

All the buttons on the consoles called out for her touch, but all Juri wanted to see was something that could assist her. It seemed silly to her that she searched for the largest button in hopes that it was red and labeled 'Self-destruct' first before shaking her head and focusing on the task at hand. She looked to a screen nearby and watched as the images cycled to show different views of the facility. A switch or button near that could change the display and give her ideas.

As she pressed a random flashing button, she thought of who she could trust in S.I.N. to follow her. Perhaps the new head of the medical division could be of assistance?

'_No,'_ Juri thought, shaking her head. _'He's a new head. He's too close to others... too willing to fill in Satoya's shoes.'_

Good point. But what about Jarvis, Seth's old, now Juri's new, butler?

'_If I wanted to tell everyone what I was planning, then I'd tell the old Scottish gossiper first.'_

Sighing, she looked away from the screen and to her right. Immediately she cringed and drew back. Her personal doll, März, was standing right in front of her. She was so still and unimportant-looking that Juri didn't see her at first. Noticing her master's gaze was upon her, the doll snapped a crisp salute only for her hand to be grabbed.

Juri held the hand tight in her own as she stared at her doll. Of course! With the knowledge that the Shadaloo dolls were hers, she could do with them as she wished. A doll did as they were told, without question. Juri couldn't ask for a more devoted assistant, and there were ten other dolls besides her!

'_Wait...' _Juri solemnly looked away. _'That one doll... Juli was it? I guess I only have ten dolls to work with instead of twelve. One's broken and the other is... free...'_

That thought put shame into her heart once more. Was it a good thing that Juri threw that one doll out of her plane to throw off Cammy? Did she even survive the fall with her stronger sister? Was it her fault that Juli's mind was broken? Could it be repaired? All these questions surfaced in her mind, awaiting answers. Before they could be answered, Juri heard the sound of a door sliding up, then a chuckle.

"Well now, I see you've grown fond of your doll," she heard a man say behind her. "Or are you that anxious to get back to where we were that you've turned your attention to someone else?" Juri turned to face the man and grimaced, for it was Vega D'Ellsadro himself. "Tsk tsk, how rude of me. I should have arrived sooner."

She relinquished her hold on her doll's hand and brushed her outfit off. She remembered that she told Vega yesterday to find her tomorrow in her quarters, regardless of whether or not she was working. But that was before her revelation. Before, she would have cherished Vega's presence, but now, she would rather have him leave.

"Vega! H-how did you get past the guards?" she said, more hostile than she would've liked.

"They opened the door for me, as they should." He placed a hand to his chin in amusement as he looked upon Juri, who moved over to him. "Is that concern in your wonderful violet eyes? Don't fret; you have my word that your guards are unharmed."

Juri pressed a hand against Vega's chest, which, to her dismay, was uncovered.

"Vega, you need to leave," she said with an air of authority.

"Leave?" Vega scoffed and reached up to take her gloved hand in his. "You look like you have too much on your plate, too many troubles on your mind." He rubbed her hand between his index finger and thumb, using his other hand to cup Juri's face. "Allow me to drive those troubles away."

Without hesitation, he inched closer to Juri and enveloped her lips in his own. A blush worked its way onto her face, but she didn't want to blush. To her, Vega was just a distraction from her troubles, like he said. But her troubles gave her direction and a purpose! She wanted to finish what she had started, and Vega was only getting in her way.

Her body wanted to betray her and force her to forget. She found herself deepening the kiss as her hands slowly worked around Vega to grasp at his back. Something about him just felt right, like her troubles were meant to dissolve in his presence. His hands reached for her back and held her close in an amorous embrace. She wanted him, more than anything, and Vega knew that as he smirked inwardly.

But she didn't need him.

'_W-what am I doing?' _She thought to herself as Vega tapped at her mouth with his tongue. _'Juri! Snap out of it!'_

A gentle push brought Juri away from Vega, allowing her to look him in the eyes again.

"Vega, no," she said, shaking her head. "I really need to go!"

"Dear heart," Vega replied with a frown, "you're being irrational! Just let go of your inhibitions and relax..."

He pushed forward and pressed his lips against hers, immediately deepening the kiss. By that time, Juri had already made up her mind: she would not fall for him, as she needed to focus on developing a plan for S.I.N. There needed to be something to distract him from her, but no matter where she looked, she couldn't find anything suitable. She brought her hands back up to his chest and pushed again.

Unfortunately, Vega wasn't about to be denied that easily. He trailed one hand down her stomach and languidly rubbed in a circle motion, which in theory would keep Juri in the mood. His other hand kept her firmly attached to him with little to no room for resistance. After a while, the hand on her stomach began to drift lower to her thigh. Juri's eyes widened from the contact before they narrowed on Vega. Angry, she fought back.

She jammed her knee fiercely into his crotch, enticing a shrill yelp to escape his lips. Shuddering from the blow, he fell to his knees. His hands shot to his crotch as he anticipated another strike, but to his chagrin, the strike came from an open palm across his face. A murderous glint appeared in his eye. How dare she push him away? The shrew deserved to be disciplined for her ungrateful behavior! He recovered from the slap and growled, looking up to Juri.

Sharp, black metal cut his utterance of fury short. Juri had one hand on his shoulder and another up in the air near her face, prepared for a backhand. The black material of her spiked bracelet gleamed brilliantly in the dim light of her quarters. His eyes widened when he realized what she was prepared to do. If she wanted to, she could bring it down across his face, leaving cuts and most likely a few scars. Vega's face was priceless; it was the crown jewel in his beautiful appearance.

"That's a very nice face you have, Vega. It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it."

"Y-you wouldn't dare!"

"Try me," Juri coldly hissed, pressing her bracelet against his cheek.

The simple act of threatening his face was like holding a knife to a loved one's throat. Vega cared more for his face and beauty than anything else in the world, as shown by his tendency to wear a white mask to protect it. He began to sweat as his eyes darted from Juri to the bracelet, then back.

"I take it my love means nothing to you then..."

"Love?" She laughed in his face, the corners of her lips curling up into a cruel smile. "Vega, you don't give a damn about anybody but yourself. There can't be love without respect, and you don't give a damn about me, because you only want my body."

"Now, you know that's not true," Vega muttered, glowering.

"Is it? You'd screw any woman you believe is beautiful, and up until now I've been in your sights. If you had your way right now, I'd be bouncing on top of you, right?" No answer. "Just as I thought... Viper was right about you: all you want is my body and nothing more."

Her smile faded away after her statement.

'_Viper! I totally forgot about her! If there's one person who can get me out of here, it's the snake herself!'_

Removing her hands from Vega, Juri turned to look at her doll.

"You! Grab him!"

"Yes Ma'am," she replied quickly, marching up to the two.

She moved behind Vega and took his hands to place them behind his back. Resistance was found, and März took a harsher method of restraint by twisting his arm painfully so that any further movements would be met with a broken arm. There was no instance of regret or rationality in her mind. It didn't matter that she was restraining her previous handler, it was just an order.

"I'll never forget this, Juri," Vega growled.

"Good," Juri replied. "I wouldn't want you rubbing up on me tomorrow like nothing ever happened! Throw him out!"

März directed Vega to the door and pressed the nearby control panel to open it. She roughly threw him out and closed the door behind him as Juri looked on. The Spaniard would be trouble in the future, but she couldn't worry about him now. There was someone who could help Juri, and that was Crimson Viper, the same woman who tried to assassinate her. Captured, beaten, and defeated, Viper would be crazy not to refuse assistance to Juri, but she was desperate, and she needed to try.

Taking out her black phone, she moved to her bedroom to gather up a few items. She spoke into the receiver as she picked up a pair of yellow shades from the floor of her room.

"Jarvis? Hey, I'm getting a little hungry up here, so you're going to fix up something for me, got it?"

* * *

><p>Dark. Cold. Uncomfortable. Disheartening. There were plenty of adjectives left in her vocabulary to more thoroughly describe her location, but Viper grew tired of that game. Drawing closer to herself, she looked up to the one light bulb in her little metal room. Ever since she was put in confinement that light had never been activated. It took time, but eventually her jade green eyes got used to the darkness.<p>

She looked to her right arm with the broken collarbone. No matter how small it was, every movement sent pain through her sides and up her arm. The guards knew about her injuries- some were even sympathetic- but there was nothing they could do for her. No aid was given to her. As ordered by the leader of S.I.N., nothing was given to her.

Juri did, however, give Viper one thing. After her capture, the battlesuit was a tangled mess. Everything was taken off of her body. Clothes, equipment, even personal effects. Juri gave her a white coat to cover herself with and to keep whatever sense of dignity Vper had intact before it was ripped away. The coat, much to Viper's distress, once belonged to Satoya, as shown by the hand-sized holes where the heart was. Juri thought it was hilarious.

Her stomach grumbled. She hadn't eaten breakfast or lunch. A normal human being like her could survive without food for a few weeks, but without water, she would die in three. But she wasn't in a wasteland devoid of sustenance; she was trapped in a cold, dark cell. Either she would be kept alive on some ill-looking rations or she would die soon by Juri's hand.

'_Damnit girl,' _Viper thought to herself, hanging her head, _'how the hell did you get into this position?'_

As a CIA agent, she had her orders to eliminate all her stood in her way. Do whatever it took to get the job done, whether it be blackmail, seduction, deception, or assassination. The BLECE project was her primary objective, but with Seth and his Korean confidante in the way, she needed to dispose of them. Seth would be trumped by Juri, and then she would be taken out by Chun-Li. Sadly, plans went awry when Juri continued to evade law enforcement. Viper took the chance yesterday to properly dispose of her and suffered the consequences of failing.

'_She's an experienced fighter with a crazy eye and nothing to hold her back, so what chance did I have when I fought her? Why the hell did I even jump on the stupid opportunity?' _Viper hung her head and repositioned her right arm near her chest. _'I guess I was so full of fire that the thought of losing never occurred to me.'_

She could feel her heart beat inside her injured ribcage.

'_What's going to happen to Lauren now? I never planned on dying here, and a babysitter isn't forever... I guess her two parents are going to die in this pl- No! Get yourself together girl!'_

Gritting her teeth in pain, Viper managed to push herself up with the aid of walls. She couldn't give up now. There had to be something she could do to survive. She could fabricate lies to build herself up and make it seem that she was more than just a CIA operative. If she could communicate with one of her guards, maybe she could persuade him to help or at least give some information to her.

She approached the solid steel door in front of her and looked for a way to make herself known. There was a small slit in the door that allowed people outside to look in and speak to the occupant of the room, as well as a speaker if someone didn't want to be revealed. No way could she open the door by brute force, as she was but a simple human. If she still had her suit, maybe she could have put a dent into the material. Before she even touched the cold surface, the door slid up in front of her and into the ceiling.

Light bombarded her sight and blinded her. Overwhelmed, Viper fell back onto her bottom. She held her left hand in front of her face as a visor, all the while hearing the dull sounds of bare feet and combat boots sauntering across metal. A shadow was cast on the floor, sheltering Viper from the light. She looked up at a silhouette of a strong and lean woman and scowled, for she knew who it belonged to.

Another figure stepped into her vision, smaller than the first one. It had a feminine, yet fierce and unwavering posture. Viper could make out two bags in the figure's hands, one much smaller than the other. Backing up slowly on her rump, she heard the first figure speak over shoulder.

"You two, guard this area. I don't want any interruptions."

'_That voice... That's her all right,' _Viper thought angrily.

The figure came forward with her partner and stopped in front of Viper. Just as soon as she started to get used to the light, the door closed and bathed the area in darkness once again. She heard a sound above her and looked up to see the solitary light bulb flicker before flooding the room in dim light. When she looked back, a pair of slightly bloodshot violet eyes were locked on her own jade pools.

Juri must have finally jumped off the deep end, for her outfit was darker and much more sinister-looking than usual. Black eyeliner, black trousers, and a black heart all convinced Viper that whatever plans the spider had were not good for her. However, there was something else in her eye other than revenge, and it didn't seem evil to Viper. It was the look of someone who wanted to ask questions before shooting. Perhaps this was all a ploy to catch her off guard.

Viper looked to her right and saw one of the new dolls with her white medical bag supposedly filled with supplies. A smaller black bag was hung over her shoulder, its contents unknown. This was the medic of the Shadaloo dolls, known by her name as Aprile. She set her white bag down away from Viper's prying eyes and waited for an order from her master.

"I guess it's time now," Viper muttered, maintaining eye contact with her enemy.

"Time for what?" Juri replied, raising an eyebrow.

"You know what I mean." She looked over to Aprile and at the black bag she held. "What's in the bag? Equipment for torture?"

"Viper, I don't have time for this," Juri said with a sigh. "There's something I need from you."

"More pain? More screams? I've already spilled all the beans that you care for, so what's left for you to pry?"

"This isn't a courtesy call, but it isn't a torture session either." With an air of urgency, Juri continued. "Viper, I'm here because I need your help."

Silence cut through the room. Viper cocked an eyebrow and looked at Juri in amazement. Since when did she need anything? That woman had the organization wrapped around her finger, taking care of every necessity. She never needed help from anyone to get anything done. Desire drove her every action every day, whether it be for power or fun. Even though Juri seemed trustworthy, Viper wasn't about to offer her assistance so willingly, especially to her. She decided to humor her.

"Oh really? What do you need help with?"

Juri tilted her head in suspicion but spoke anyway.

"If things went wrong in S.I.N., did you have a plan to escape or cripple the organization?"

"Maybe," she mumbled, maintaining a glare. "Why do you want to know?"

Sighing, the Korean placed a hand to her bosom in an attempt to look as sincere as possible. For this to work, she needed to convince her old partner that she had changed and that things needed to be done.

"I want out of this place."

"You got in here, you can just tell your dolls to let you out," Viper replied dully. Feigning surprise, she said, "Oh, I get it! You want to cut and run too! Well, you can just walk out the front door and not look back."

"I can't, Viper."

"Sure you can," Viper sarcastically replied. "What's stopping you?"

"I can't leave this place while it's still operational."

"Hate to break it to you, but there's no self-destruct button in this facility. I've checked myself, and I bet you have too. Unless you get a bunch of explosives, this place is staying intact."

"What is the lifeblood of S.I.N?" Juri muttered, furrowing her brow at Viper's mocking attitude. "What keeps this facility up and running?"

Viper looked away for a moment. It was obvious that the answer was every scientist and worker of S.I.N., but if they were taken out, that meant the organization would be no more without those to run it. The idea that Juri was prepared to sacrifice their lives to cover her tracks perplexed Viper as well as infuriated her. A scowl worked its way onto her face, for even though she betrayed S.I.N. as a double agent, she still counted as a worker.

"You... you want the organization that you've led, that you've thrived in, to fall? And you want every worker in here to die to make that happen?"

"No!" Juri shouted. She caught herself and lowered her voice. "There are people in here who do deserve to die, but most everyone is here because they believed it was the right thing to do, joining S.I.N. It was a mistake, and they don't deserve to die for that." She lowered herself to Viper's eye level and got on one knee. "But they don't deserve to walk off scot free. If you help me, we can drive this organization into the ground and capture all three-hundred or so members."

Taking Juri by surprise, Viper sneered and began to chuckle. There was no doubt in her mind about the situation. Juri couldn't be doing this, for she was too predictable. No way could she turn on the organization now that she was on top. It was all a ploy to derive more sadistic pleasure from Viper, wasn't it?

"You're joking right? You can't be serious about this. You don't deserve to walk away after all you've done!" She stopped chuckling and held her side, gritting her teeth in pain. "Damnit, you messed me up so much it even hurts to laugh!"

"I am serious!" Juri yelled, clenching her fists. "Viper, you out of all people would capitalize on a situation like this! I really need your help on this one," she said with a downtrodden expression. "I don't want to do this anymore... I don't want to kill anymore. Shadaloo is still alive in S.I.N., and I can't let them escape, not after all I've gone through. With your help, we can expose this organization and be done with it all."

"Juri, you broke my arm, cracked a few ribs, and threatened my daughter." With a scowl she looked up at the Korean. "Give me one good reason why I should help you."

Juri frowned and looked down at her feet. She wasn't proud of what she did to the agent. Sure some of her actions were done in self-defense, which was a rare occurrence for her, but even so, she went too far when she extracted information from Viper. Besides money, family was important to the woman. The woman had something to live for, and Juri threatened that.

"You have a life ahead of you Viper," Juri said, awkwardly smiling in reassurance. "You have a daughter that loves you, friends back in America, and a home. I have nothing." She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I have no home, no allies, and no family. When they died, I swore vengeance, but it wouldn't be delivered until years later, and even then, revenge wasn't carried out to its fullest. Please, you want out just as badly as I do."

She expected a scoff once she stopped talking, but Juri didn't receive one. Viper had a far-off gaze attached to the ground, lost in thought. Words had sunk into her heart, which was certain. If Juri was lying, Viper would lose everything she had ever loved. But if Juri was telling the truth, if she had changed and was really willing to expose S.I.N., then the agent could survive to see her daughter again. She would have to admit that the antagonist on one knee in front of her seemed sincere enough to believe.

"Why?" Viper asked, looking up. "Why are you doing this?"

"Why shouldn't I do this?" Juri answered with a question of her own. "What's better for you, that I kill you right now and continue killing in a stupid quest for power, or that you and I bring our heads together to get out of here? If you're waiting for an apology, you won't get one," Juri said. "I know you Viper... after all I've done to you and what I've said to you, you wouldn't accept it. I wouldn't expect you to."

Sighing, Viper shook her head.

"Alright, you got me."

"You trust me?"

"...Don't ask me that. Just tell me what you have planned."

"Oh, alright then."

Juri looked to her medical doll and nodded. The doll returned the nod and removed the black bag from her shoulder to give it to her master. She then turned to her white medical bag to rummage around for supplies while Juri set her own bag behind her. With a strange and enthusiastic smile, she clasped her hands together and spoke.

"Well, the whole point of this plan is to make sure S.I.N. can never recover. To do this, there needs to be a way for outsiders to get in here. My dolls can do a lot of things, but I have no clue what to tell them."

"Wait, what kind of outsiders are you talking about?" Viper questioned, crossing her legs to sit up straight.

"Before, I said that I wanted as many members of S.I.N. captured. I can't do that, but I know that if Interpol and other law enforcement branches knew where we are, they'd rush in and do the job for us. Viper, can the CIA do anything to help?"

"N-no, this was just an infiltration operation that dragged on for four years. They can't directly interfere with S.I.N., but that doesn't mean they can't help out the other agencies looking into the organization. So," she leaned forward, "you want this place to get overrun with the 'good guys', if I understood correctly."

"Yeah. I'm aiming for Interpol, if that's possible."

Viper raised an eyebrow as she felt someone come behind her and carefully grab her right arm. The medical doll produced a white sling and set her patient's arm in it. She nudged it close to her chest as she worked on attaching the straps to hang around her neck. It surprised Viper that Juri would do this for her, but she didn't show it on the outside.

"Interpol? No, you'll need to aim for something much more qualified. The guards here are prepared for a firefight, should it come, so if you're really going to go through with this, you should aim for a paramilitary force or if possible, a branch of the USA's military."

"I... I think I got a good idea of who to contact. I just hope I get to talk to her."

"Ok, so you've got that part down," Viper said as Aprile felt her sides for the cracked ribs. She hissed in pain when the doll found the right spot, but continued to speak. "Eh! The guards need to be dealt with if you want things to go smoothly, and I've got a few ideas on how to get them out of the picture."

Any good spy needed to know the most crucial rule of infiltration: know thy enemy, also known as pay attention to the guard. Patrol routes, rotation schedules, breaks, and so much more had to be accounted for if Viper wanted to get into areas that were off limits. The guards were competent men who weren't fooled easily, so different tricks had to be deployed.

"It's too late to do anything today, but tomorrow these plans can be set in motion. The chief of secur-"

The sound of metal grating against metal caught their attention as the door to the cell opened. Immediately Juri stood up and whirled around to face the intruder, beside herself in anger. A large black man in a custom- ripped- uniform was struggling with two dolls in the doorway. He looked very disgusted, as if his wrinkled nose, scowl, and snarl were any indication. Managing to avoid a quarterstaff over the head, the man tossed the dolls away from him and readied his uncovered fists.

Before he could strike one of the dolls, Juri grabbed onto his uniform and pulled him inside the cell. Her movements were swift, pinning him against a wall. Agitated that people were attacking him for seemingly no reason whatsoever, the man growled and pushed himself off of the wall to slam his boss to the ground. Aprile jumped in to assist her master only to be brushed aside. Viper simply watched in downplayed interest.

"What the hell's goin' on?" Balrog shouted, looking. "I come around checkin' cells like that bitch told me to do and I get attacked by two little punchin' bags! Boss is rubbin' up on me and even that-" He stopped and glared at Viper. "Wait a minute, what's goin' on here? I heard little miss scarlet was gettin' it today, but I see she's gettin' fixed-"

A kick to the stomach silenced the crazy buffalo, winding him. Juri removed her foot from his gut and swung her fist at his face, but Balrog recovered quickly and grabbed her hand. He was a boxer by nature, a pugilist from the day he was born. To be one meant being able to deal a lot of damage while taking just as much. He scowled and looked down on the woman in his grasp before a kick to the side of his head knocked her free. Juri nodded to the medical doll, acknowledging her assistance.

"Jeezus!" Balrog exclaimed, rubbing his cheek. "What's the big deal boss?"

"You're going to ruin everything!" Juri shouted, leaping forward to kick the large man in the legs. "And I'm not going to let that happen!"

While Juri began to fight Balrog and the latter tried to defend himself, Viper took the brief opportunity to grab the black bag and look inside. A yellow pair of shades jumped out at her, taking her by surprise. She took them and put them in her hairline as she picked out another item. It was small and metallic with a removeable top and design, one Viper recognized as her own custom-ordered etching.

She flicked the top open and gave a sigh of relief, glad that her lighter had not been stolen. If her lighter was in the bag, that only meant that Juri had put something inside that worked with it. It wasn't explosives or some kind of device activated by flames, but a packet of cigarettes. Smiling, Viper took one out and put it between her lips.

'_Alright, Juri must be buttering me up here. This is one vice I enjoy... but I gotta quit smoking someday.'_

As Viper lit the end of her cigarette, Balrog was getting fed-up with his boss's constant attacks. There was no means to her madness, and in his eyes, he was fighting one crazy woman. He lashed out with a stiff right hook, laughably missing his mark by a few inches but serving to drive Juri back. He was furious now like a wild animal, and animals calmed down in time or from being incapacitated.

Juri backed away from him a fair distance as he prepared himself. He cracked his knuckles and shuffled his feet, glaring daggers at his boss. It didn't matter to him that she paid his salary, he wasn't about to get beat up for no reason whatsoever. He hopped forward and dragged his large fist behind him as he ran at Juri. She could see power in his blow, but she could also see a lack of precision. Stepping to the side, she allowed Balrog to punch the metal wall behind her.

The metal wall wouldn't give way to any foreign object, not even the boxer's mighty fist. A resounding thud permeated throughout the room before Balrog clutched his right hand in pain. Taking the chance, Juri mustered up all of her strength to slam the man against the wall. She reached for his neck and held him there as she raised her other fist to strike.

"Hold up, Juri," Viper droned out, blowing smoke out the side of her mouth. "He can be used."

Juri turned her head to look at Viper over her shoulder.

"What makes you say that?"

"He's Shadaloo, not S.I.N. He has no ties to bind him here other than you, and you hired him as a mercenary before."

"Hey! Don't talk about me like I ain't here!" Balrog managed to grumble out despite the hand on his throat.

Mercenaries were so reliably predictable, and Balrog was no exception. He would do anything and everything that was asked of him... for the right price. If one were to look up greed in the dictionary, they would find a picture of the boxer next to it, for he was greed incarnate. Removing her hand from the man's throat, Juri looked back at him and stepped back to give herself room.

"You shouldn't be here in the first place, idiot!" she hissed. "But now that you are, I've got a job for you."

"Is it interrogatin' the little rat there?"

"Touch her and I'll break your arms, then your little stubby legs. You're going to work with me and her to bring this place down." Catching the dumb, confused look on Balrog's face, Juri continued, "Yeah, so I'm gonna drive S.I.N. into the ground, what of it? You don't give a damn about this place anyway."

"Sorta do, 'cause I'm gettin' paid here. But I don't like bein' ordered around by a scrawny little runt like the chief."

"If everything goes right, you won't have to take orders from her anymore. If it's money you're after, then if you work for me, I can guarantee that you'll earn three years worth of your salary as well as a bonus."

"Uh... How much is that?"

"Let's see," Viper mused, depositing her pack of cigarettes in a pocket of her white lab coat, "an assistant to the chief of security earns about one to two-hundred thousand a year, and with three years tacked on as well as this bonus Juri is talking about, it's safe to say you could earn a million bucks."

Balrog practically drooled at the amount.

"Damn, that's good enough for me! So, what the hell's goin' on?"

"I need someone to be a distraction as well as a powerhouse," Juri replied with a conniving look. "Tomorrow, I'll give you a signal to turn on the guards in the cell block and anybody you can find near it. Don't kill them, I just want them beaten up and knocked out."

"What's the signal?" Balrog said, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh..." Juri rubbed the back of her neck in uncertainty. "I don't know, I'll think of something..."

"The guards in the cell block are only one-third of the security problem, Juri," Viper piped in. "There are the guards that are topside patrolling the perimeter as well as the guards in here protecting the scientists. I've made some observations and I know that at noon, there is a rotation of squads. After eating at the mess hall, a good amount of guards move up to take the outside guards' positions. There are a few chemicals that I have stored away in an opening behind a painting in my room that can be mixed to form a sleeping agent, which digested-"

"-will knock out the guards after they've eaten their lunch!" Juri finished, pointing at Viper.

"Exactly. They'll be out of your hair when things turn sour. As for the signal, there's another thing behind the painting that will be of use." Viper snuffed out the ashes in the butt of her cigarette and reached for another one. "In case of a rainy day, I have a virus held on a flashdrive. Insert the flashdrive into the generator mainframe in the engineering sublevel after spiking the guards' food. Take caution though, as this virus has... explosive capabilities."

Juri smirked and folded her arms.

"If all else fails, blow shit up. Taking out something so vast and complex like the generator field is going to create a lot of noise, and I bet the forces outside will hear it. That'll be their signal to rush in."

"Wait," Balrog interjected, "what forces are you talkin' about?"

"Interpol, Delta Red, and maybe a branch of the American military," Juri replied quickly.

Balrog widened his eyes in shock and wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"What? That means they're gonna barge in here and get us!"

"Very good deduction," Viper muttered sarcastically. "Did you come up with that yourself?"

"That's the whole point of this, Balrog. We weaken S.I.N.'s defenses and capabilities to fight back, allowing our enemies to rush in and capture every worker, every guard, every scientist."

"I ain't goin' to no jailhouse for the rest of my life!" Balrog shouted. "Money's no good when I'm behind bars!"

Sighing, Juri shook her head and unfolded her arms. She expected a response like this, but she thought the promise of money would silence his complaints. No human being is unafraid of imprisonment, except for the truly mad or demented. He needed to be convinced that her plans not only benefited herself and Viper, but him as well.

"Well of course money is no good when you're in prison, what did you expect? I plan on everyone getting arrested and answering for their sins, and you're no exception!" She clasped her hands together and gestured towards the irate boxer. "You can spend an eternity in prison, or you can side with me and be free in a year or more with all your money saved. If there's anything that you would value more than money, it's freedom, and don't try to tell me anything other than that. That's what I'm offering you: a chance at freedom."

"Freedom, eh?"

"Face it Balrog," Viper said, blowing smoke out again, "even if you manage to escape, you'll never be free. You'll be chased like an animal until you're either dead or rotting in a cage. Facing capture head-on with Juri is the only way you'll be able to walk the streets without having a wanted sign taped to her back. And hey, maybe you'll get to box again."

"Feh... I don't know..." The boxer scratched his head and closed his eyes, turning away. "I'll have to think about it."

'_Damn, Juri's making him think?' _Viper thought in astonishment. _'She _is _serious about this after all!'_

"You've got time to mull it over, but until you give me an answer, you're staying in here." Turning back to Viper, Juri frowned. "That flashdrive with the virus is meant for the generators, right? If so, I should upload the virus to the main core near Seth's little throne room. It's a huge generator in itself, so with that out of the way-"

"Don't."

"W-what?"

"Don't upload the virus to the core. While it is a generator, you know that it is also the largest data bank in this facility. You've been talking about what you want and need, so let me throw in something that I need myself. Inside the core is everything on the BLECE project. There are a few scraps located on flashdrives that the scientists have, but the core is where the biggest concentration of that data lies."

"BLECE?" Juri repeated, furrowing her brow. "You want me to leave that data alone for you people in the CIA? Viper, that project is a sin itself; killing the weak and corrupting the strong! If that data gets out, there's no telling what will happen to the world!"

Raising her left hand in defense, Viper replied:

"You're thinking too negatively about it. BLECE is just a tool, like your eye. Tools can be used for good, as well as 'evil'. I assure you, Juri, the data in the core can save lives when put into the right hands."

In the wrong hands, BLECE would be used as a tool for destruction. The weak would be weeded out and the strong would survive, leading to fights and death. Such power that had been granted to them could be used for all the wrong means. Juri's eye was a tool and a weapon, but in her hands it was used for terror. Perhaps Viper was more optimistic than she looked at first glance.

Juri's expression softened as she sighed.

"I... I guess you're right. I'm sorry; I just thought it would be as if everyone got my eye." She pointed to the bag and commanded, "Look in there again. Your phone is in there with all bells and whistles attached."

Viper acknowledged the command with a grunt and stuck her hand into the black bag again, pulling out a plastic bag with a sandwich inside. She prodded the food item with her finger, inspecting the meat inside.

"If this is balogna-"

"It is."

"I hate balogna," Viper muttered. "But beggars can't be choosers."

She dropped the sandwich back into the bag and retrieved her yellow phone. The voice modulation device was still attached to the voice receiver of the phone, and so was the jamming device placed over the antennae. She flipped the phone open and placed her fingers over the number keys before looking up at Juri.

"You sure you want to do this?" Juri nodded, hardening her expression. "Ok... who do you need me to call?"

'_The board is set, the pieces are ready to be used... all that remains is to gather the players,' _Juri thought. "Give the red berets over in England a call... and hope that the detective hasn't left yet."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Thank you to all who were patient in waiting for this chapter. I know I might take a little longer to get something done, but at 20k words, this chapter was worth all the time I spent on it. I feel the same as I did when writing my other story when I neared the end.

Please read and review, and thank you.


	8. Bonus Stage

** Day 6 – Sunday: Bonus Stage**

* * *

><p><em>Delta Red Headquarters, London, England<em>

It seemed like Christmas to the Captain. No matter where she looked, she saw red and green, all in different shades and hues. Military green was under her hands as she gripped the railing of the stairway. Her red cloak was draped around her shoulders. Dull colors of green were trapped in the outfits of the men and women below her in the main room. Crimson consoles jutted out from the grey walls, demanding attention with their appearances.

No other colors would serve for the paramilitary organization. Red was needed, as it was included in the name. Green was a tactical choice as well as a fashionable one, according to the melee weapons expert. Delta Red was often found in a jolly mood, even when times called for professionals. It was understandable why Cammy would think of the holidays. It wasn't that often that she took time off to enjoy a holiday, having devoted much time to her career.

The pigtailed Captain shook her head and sighed.

_'Why am I thinking about Christmas now? It's only late November, and even then, there's not much to it. Well… there are my mates; I suppose that's what's got me pondering.'_

Cammy looked down to the melee weapons expert, Lita Luwanda. She was on the main floor, leaning over a table with a map alongside a few of the men. The giant Matthew McCoy was staring ahead at a console, lazily cleaning his rifle. A soft, upbeat little tune drifted through the room from the speakers of George Ginzu, the most talented computer expert in all of Delta Red. His infectious grin and unwavering pride and dedication towards the organization helped its members through some tough times and missions.

Behind the techie was the American airman, Major Guile, who seemed content arguing about tastes in music with him. In fact, the two seemed to be vying for control of the computer as to play their own tastes. The sight of all her comrades together in one place and the fact that they would lay down their lives for one another brought a small smile to Cammy's lips. Everyone in the organization was considered her brother, and Luwanda her big sister.

The thought slowly took her smile away. She never had a family, but she did consider the women under Bison's mind control to be her sisters, for they went through the same torture as she did. Juni, the only doll who was saved from the mountain labs, suffered a mild case of amnesia from having her mind freed from Bison's lingering control. As for the other eleven dolls, Cammy knew they were still out there, waiting for her to rescue them from themselves, and from the Korean witch.

_'Juri… I haven't forgotten about you or the sisters of mine that you hurt,' _she thought to herself. Her grip on the railing tightened, as if she was squeezing the life out of it. _'The next time we meet, you had better hope I don't get my hands 'round your neck.'_

"Come on, you don't have any of the good stuff," Guile muttered with a smirk as he searched through the techie's music library.

"I don't see how you Americans can't fancy English rock," George said, pressing his glasses back up to his face. "And if you're looking for the good stuff, the only thing that I have in here that's really good is Deejay's music."

"I'm not looking for the same tune used over and over again, I'm looking for good country, like Hank, Cash, Strait, or hell, even Parton," the airman replied.

The melee weapons expert called out to the two men, filling the room with her cheery yet assertive voice.

"Anything is better than the usual fare, Guile! Knock 'em off his stool if you must, just put on something different!"

George rolled his eyes as the men chuckled, reluctantly moving away from his computer to allow the American to use his music program. Before the Major could even touch the keyboard, the display changed to show an image of a phone ringing. Immediately the room fell silent, for it wasn't often the organization received calls. The techie quickly reclaimed his seat and bumped the airman away as he manned his controls. Placing a headset over his ear and near his mouth, he tapped a key to answer the call.

The display on the screen was of an audio wavelength. In a little box underneath it, the caller was identified as one of the secretaries up front. Since Delta Red was gaining a good reputation, Colonel Wolfman saw to it that those who wished to join were able to do so, and to do that, they needed to speak to… personable people who could help them. Secretaries filled a void perfectly, taking calls, answering questions, and taking care of public relations. The only calls they did not accept were the more serious ones.

"Sir?" the secretary asked, prompting the audio wavelength to jump with her voice.

"Yes? What is it soldier?" the Colonel asked, stepping away from his desk to take a stand behind George.

"There's a call for you sir, from a strange individual. We've already tried to trace the signal, but we can't find anything. The man- we assume- refuses to identify himself, but he claims to have important information for either you or Major Guile."

"What did he sound like?" Guile asked the screen, leaning forward in interest. His brow was furrowed in concentration and his lips were pressed together in a determined frown.

"The man is disguising his voice, and he sounds like someone with a very, very deep throat."

The Colonel folded his arms and looked down at the American.

"I take it you've received information from this person, given your expression, am I right Major?"

Guile nodded, giving the Colonel his answer.

"Patch him through, Ginzu," Wolfman ordered, glancing over at him. "They may try to help us as they did the Major, but until we get a name and motive, we remain suspicious. As such, I want you to do your best to trace their signal and get their location."

"Patching him through sir," George replied.

After thanking the secretary for her work, the Colonel watched as his star computer expert brought the mystery caller into the room. Scuffles and coughs were heard around the room from the men, all eagerly awaiting information. It wasn't everyday that a defector or mole released information, and when it was, it was usually very important info. A few of the men pulled up chairs next to George to assist him and write down information, knowing well that although he was gifted, he was still one man.

Cammy was interested, yet frustrated. Guile had told both her and Chun-Li about the recent information leak, and the reception wasn't pretty. Both women had desires for revenge against Bison, and to have the chance to apprehend him ripped away from their grasp by Juri served to anger them further. Chun-Li took the news especially hard, for she believed Bison would speak of her father or at least leave documents pertaining to him during his capture. Seth's death didn't surprise Cammy, for she presumed that Juri had been plotting sense day one to obtain more power.

Whoever the mystery caller was, Cammy hoped that he at least provided some good news, whatever it be. Plans, memory cards, data files, anything that didn't say Juri found some new way to kill or some new power to add to her steadily increasing arsenal. Scowling, she remembered the sense of helplessness at the sight of her partner's beaten and unconscious form, and the anger she felt towards the Korean woman for doing all that she did. Perhaps the caller would provide the means to drive the witch into the ground.

A low, raspy, and heavy modulated voice drifted out from the speakers around the room.

"Colonel… or is it the Major I'm speaking to? Maybe the little Captain herself?"

Cammy grunted and turned to walk down the steps as Wolfman shook his head.

"This is Colonel Keith Wolfman of Delta Red. And you are?"

"Feeling generous, and you should feel grateful," was the cold response. "You might want to know who I am, but that's not important right now. Right now, I've got something better than data or information."

"Yeah?" Guile piped up, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The chance of a lifetime... There's a risk, and you're going to think up bigger ones, but know that the reward is well worth it."

"Cut to the chase," he grumbled.

"Certain things have come up just recently, and given the circumstances here… I can provide you a way into S.I.N."

Cammy's eyes widened as she heard that. In an instant she was at her commanding officer's side, looking up at the screen. She looked around the room, hearing thoughtful murmurs and seeing interested men. Whoever this person was, it would be highly likely that they were still in the organization as a spy, or perhaps a saboteur. It was an optimistic thought, but soon a pessimistic one came through: S.I.N. was too strong an organization, and the thought of getting inside or bringing it down was too good to be true.

"A way into- Now hold on a minute here," Guile growled, standing up and placing his hands on the console. "This is all too sudden, and I'm not sure I trust you."

"You said that yesterday, but then you went back on that."

"I did, and I appreciate the information, but I can't trust you now. Then, definitely. Now, not at all."

"What is the meaning of this, Major?" Wolfman asked, perplexed.

"Yesterday when I was called by this guy he remarked that he ran into trouble, but would call me or do something to get my attention today." Guile folded his arms and sighed. "Call me paranoid, but I've got the stinking suspicion this rat's been sniffed out."

"Y-you think I'm compromised," the low-voiced caller mumbled.

"I don't think, I know. I'm not stupid; I can hear your little stutter of surprise, the pain in your side from a recent injury, and the hesitation in your voice, as if you're picking your words _very _carefully. I bet you have someone breathing over your shoulder right now." Giving a sad smile, Guile said, "I'd like to help, and I'm sorry to do this, but since you're just saying what they want you to say, I have nothing more to say to you."

The caller let loose a low, sad chuckle.

"…Your observation skills are still sharp, as expected…"

"We might lose him," Wolfman said, looking to George. "Any luck with the trace, Ginzu?"

George looked up at the Colonel with disappointment in his eyes and a look of disgust on his face. He shook his head and muttered under his breath before returning his gaze to the screen. Any normal person would assume the Colonel had ticked off his techie, but Wolfman knew George had never failed at tracing calls, hacking, routing, or downloading restricted files. To look that frustrated meant the techie had finally been shut out; beaten at his job.

"Nothing, Sir… The transmission is too congested, too protected to properly trace. I'll keep trying though…"

Grunting in disapproval, Cammy turned around and started to move back to the upper floor. She took her red beret off her head and wiped her brow, mumbling a few obscenities. She was slightly miffed that there was no information that would help them, but she was also grateful for that fact. Nothing new meant nothing to bother her, and she could return to her duties.

Just as she reached the green stairs to the upper floor did she hear sounds from the main console with the mystery caller. She stopped and put her beret back on before drowning out all sounds, focusing on the one. It sounded like a small device was being handled, or a piece of tinfoil was being rubbed in front of a microphone. Then came a click, a clack, and finally the sound of someone moistening their lips…

"Maybe you'll speak to me…"

The voice wasn't low and raspy like a deep throated male as it was earlier, but soft, with a clear distinction of being a female's. There was a tone of arrogance and a slight bit of sadism, as if the woman knew her voice would discomfort the men in the room. And the woman undoubtedly took pleasure in their discomfort. Cammy turned around and stared at the screen, as did Guile.

A giggle reached their ears, one Cammy knew all too well.

"Oh if only I could see your faces! Too bad we can't see each other like in those sci-fi movies… that would be neat if we could."

"Juri! If this is your idea of a prank call, it's just as sick and twisted as you are!"

"Was that a complement?" Juri said. "I'm flattered, but let's not have one of your little episodes over the phone. You're not the only one in the room, and you're not exactly the one I want to talk to."

"Cammy," Wolfman said, directing the pigtailed woman's attention back to him, "this is Juri Han, the woman from S.I.N. who you encountered at Sosna's research labs?"

"Affirmative," she quickly replied, returning her attention to the screen.

"Han, this is Colonel Kei-"

"Yeah yeah, skip the introductions, I can hear from over the other guy's shoulder. And before you go threatening me or worse, cutting me off, here's something you need to know: I mean it when I say I can get you into S.I.N."

Cammy scoffed at her.

"Words from a murderous psychopath like you will n-"

"Hey pigtails, quiet down will ya? Grown-ups are talking," Juri said in a mocking tone.

"You, the new leader of S.I.N., are offering us a chance to send someone in to infiltrate you?" Wolfman questioned.

"What? No, one person won't make much of a difference you know. After all, I already have a spy right here, so I don't need another one. We're in mutual agreement on one thing though, and that is if you send in a good squad or two on a bad day in S.I.N., well… let's say you could finally snuff them out while grabbing all the intel you can carry."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying," Juri started with an air of exasperation, "that if I let you in, would you kindly move in and capture everyone you can?"

Wolfman scratched his chin before saying what was on the minds of most of his men.

"You want to sell out your own organization? And why is that?"

"I'm going to get that question asked a lot, aren't I?" Sighing, Juri said, "It doesn't matter why I'm doing this, but what does is the fact that I am going to do this. I already have something planned for this place that will allow you to enter, but if you aren't coming, then I'll move on to plan B. Members of S.I.N. either leave in ties or body bags, and that's for you to decide."

"We couldn't trust your prisoner, and we can't exactly take your words without a grain of salt."

"Did barebutt tell you about everything I did? Yeah, I don't blame you for not trusting me, given all that I've done. I don't expect you to trust me, but I at least hope that you listen and think." Chuckling softly, she added, "I bet you noticed that this call is untraceable."

"Oh, she's really rubbin' it in now," George mumbled.

"The… whatever you call it is attached to the antennae of this phone, so I can't take it off without stopping this call. So, as a show of good faith, I'll tell you exactly where we are instead."

Murmurs filled the room, some optimistic while others were cynical. The supposed psychopath seemed to be asking for trust, and so far she was on the right track to earn it. Cammy gritted her teeth and fumed, looking more and more like an unruly child instead of a respected Captain. She was being made into a mockery by Juri, a woman who dogged her on three occasions. The memory of being beaten by the redheaded member of S.I.N. was still etched in her mind, but Juri was far more disturbing and important an issue to disregard.

"Cuba, about 10 miles south from some place called La Mulata. This little research center is secluded in the rainforests, so it's going to be hard to see unless you take an unnamed road off of 371. And before you rush off to google that… no, you can't see it by satellite. Remember the BLECE test in the Amazonian basin a year ago? We covered that up just as we did the facility."

"Ok, imagine that we do believe you," Wolfman said with a determined look. "Just how are we going to get in?"

"You're going to have to make up a plan of your own when you get in, but until then, you play by my rules. A little after noon tomorrow, I'm going to shut down the power grid with a little oomph, so when you hear an explosion, it's prime time to walk through the front door and/or hangar. Security will be taken care of, so guards won't bother you until you're inside in the lower levels." Without hesitating, she added, "The facility has several floors, and you should hold the ground floor while working down, restraining as you go."

"Delta Red has many more members than it used to have ten years ago, but even so, there are not enough men for the job," Wolfman muttered.

"Colonel, are you saying th-"

Before the leader of Delta Red could even quiet his Captain, Guile interrupted her himself.

"I remember we have a few squads of good men lying around back in the base in California… It won't hurt anything to get some extra help, especially from the Airforce. You sure you want to go through with this?" Guile asked the Colonel.

"This is a large risk," he mumbled. Hearing Juri's own mumble of agreement, he smiled softly. "But we've taken risks like this before, as have others. Terrorist cells, notorious criminals, Shadaloo's base in Thailand… they've prepared us for bigger threats and opportunities, and here we're going to face one of them again."

At this statement, Juri breathed a sigh of relief over the line. It was quickly cut short by the young British woman asking a very important question:

"Will you be there?"

Silence greeted her question. It took awhile for the chatter from the men to settle down, which was only ten seconds. Waiting for an answer seemed to take much longer than ten seconds, but time always seemed to pass by slower than usual when waiting. Before Cammy could call out to the Korean woman, she finally heard a response in the form of her swallowing hard, as if collecting herself for the answer.

"…Yeah."

"You… you're giving up?"

"I'm not giving up, I'm giving in!" Knowing that her response would cause a bit of confusion, she quickly changed the subject. "You'll come, won't you?"

"Not so fast, Juri… What about my sisters? I need to know that they're still alive."

"They are," she replied in a curt manner. "Of course you'll come; it's only a matter of time. One more thing before I go… Cammy, was it?"

"Hmm? What is it?"

Another low chuckle greeted her ears. It was not one that she liked, and neither was the response.

"Make sure you bring the China doll along."

Cammy widened her eyes and scowled, disgusted by Juri's words. Before she could retort, the screen went dark and returned to its usual display, cutting them off from Juri. How could she ask for her presence? Was it just a plot to get her partner? She had said it herself, that she was turning herself in, but still Cammy believed it was too good to be true. Mumbling under her breath, she folded her arms and scuffed her foot on the floor.

Around her the floor bustled with activity. Men were huddled around their squad leaders to hear their take on the situation while officers turned to Wolfman for his orders. George seemed to be taking Juri's claim that he couldn't find their base via satellite as a challenge, drowning out everyone else in his quest to do so. Matthew holstered his rifle and lumbered through the throng of people to find Luwanda, figuring she would be able to make sense out of the whole situation.

"You're going, aren't you?" someone said from behind Cammy. "I know I am."

She turned around to see Chun-Li behind her, sporting a determined yet stoic expression. There was hardly anything in the world she wouldn't do for the Chinese woman. She was her greatest friend and partner, even more so than any member of Delta Red. If she decided to go fight Bison without Interpol's help, Cammy would do whatever she could in her power to stray away from her own duties just to fight alongside her. No… she was much more than a friend and both of them knew it.

Giving a sad frown, Cammy hung her head.

"You… you heard all of that?"

"Most of it, but I got the message down. It sounds too good to be true, doesn't it? Like it's all going to end in some clichéd happy ending?" Cammy nodded solemnly, enticing a smile from Chun-Li. "But this could be our big break! Shadaloo and S.I.N. could fall tomorrow, and we can finally catch Juri and make her answer for her crimes."

"This operation…" Cammy mumbled, looking back up at Chun-Li, "…this could be dangerous, even more so than anything we faced before. I have faith in my Colonel, but still, I'm worried that this could just be a trap."

"You? Worrying about danger?" Chun-Li said with a smile. "You're one of the most brave and brazen of all the people I've met in my life, Cammy. What makes you worry about something like this?" After a few seconds of awkward silence, the Interpol agent gave her a questioning look. "It's me, isn't it? You don't want me to go?"

"N-no! It's not that, it's just…"

"Just what?" Chun-Li raised her eyebrows when Cammy looked away, feeling compassion for her. "Cammy… you can tell me what's on your mind. I won't be angry with you."

Shaking her head, Cammy blinked and turned back to Chun-Li with a sad look in her eyes.

"Call me selfish, but I don't want to lose you. Ever since that day when we first found Juri, I couldn't forgive myself for what she did to you. I should have gone with you to fight her instead of going with Guile… maybe then we could have driven her off without her harming anyone else that day." Narrowing her eyebrows in anger, she continued. "And then when we found her in Metro City, she was no longer concerned with killing us. I could see the expression in her eyes and I knew what was on her barking mad mind: you. Is it wrong of me to be afraid of that?"

"Cammy, it's alright to be afraid when it comes to things like that," Chun-Li reassured. "I myself was afraid that you wouldn't live after what that redheaded woman did, and I felt so much anger towards her because of that. As for Juri, I feel no sympathy towards her for what she did to you and your sisters, so we're in mutual agreement about her. Still, remember that we mustn't put personal revenge in front of common sense and duty." She reached out and took Cammy's hand in hers, smiling again. "And besides, if things turn out for the worse, I'll be at my partner's side, kicking and screaming."

The pigtailed Captain smiled herself, a faint red blush forming in her cheeks. She nodded and shook Chun-Li's hand, thankful for the support and reassurance.

"Now come on, we need to get ready before brushhead over there gets after us."

"Y-yeah, I'd rather avoid a lecture myself…"


	9. Day 7

** Day 7 - Tuesday: Atonement**

* * *

><p>The rainforest floor seemed to want to go against every person that stepped foot on it. Large vines and muck puddles impeded progress, but even at the current clumsy rate, the men and women of Delta Red's Alpha team would eventually reach their destination in time. As one man tripped over a log and another went to pick him up, the squad leader wiped her brow clear of sweat and looked up into the sky.<p>

Colonel Wolfman and Major Guile worked efficiently to bring their men together for this operation into Cuba, knowing that time was of the essence. Several squads had been dropped around the suspected area, three which were Delta Red's. The others were part of the United States Airforce, and were instrumental in finding the S.I.N. facility an hour before noon. Following directions given to them by the USAF pathfinders, the three Delta Red squads moved closer and closer to their destination.

Bravo team was comprised of Major Luwanda and Mathew McCoy, as well as a platoon of good men prepared for a firefight, should one arise. If things went sour, they would ascertain that they were the last ones out of the facility, putting their comrades before themselves. Charlie team had Wolfman and George Ginzu, as well as a squad filled with specialists who could bypass security and traps. They would stay away from combat if they could, taking priority in gathering data as well as securing areas. Last but not least, Alpha team was led by Captain Cammy White, who would be taking the offensive in the raid.

Many of the men in Cammy's group silently thanked the difficult terrain for forcing them to keep their skills sharp. The ride over in one of the many airplanes that had been given to them by the USAF had left the men tired, drained, and agitated. To have a chance to stretch their legs and work their muscles before it was time to truly act was much appreciated, and the Chinese Interpol agent with them did much to lift their spirits with her confident and optimistic demeanor.

Looking to her right, Cammy could see Chun-Li edging herself around a massive tree, the dull, dark blue color of her Interpol uniform making her hard to spot. Her right hand hovered close to a pistol holster near her waist, prepared to grab the firearm and act at a moment's notice. All the other members had multipurpose weapons like rifles and machineguns as opposed to the officer's single pistol. She hoped that she wouldn't use one, but as a precaution she brought it along.

Looking to her left, the Captain could see a well-worn dirt road, which the team was following at a distance. It was a challenge to find their bearings in the rainforest, and it was more so to find the road, but eventually the team found it. The road would lead them to the front gate of the facility and allow them to meet up with Charlie team. Cammy gripped her submachine gun closer to herself as she leaped over a stream, finding crossing via the nearby bridge to be too risky a move. The risk of detection was evident in the minds of the men, and they took whatever measures they could to remain incognito.

A voice called out to the pigtailed operative from behind.

"Captain, I think we're getting close."

Turning around to look at the source of the voice, Cammy's eyes widened. One of the men was near a metal pole that was just a foot over him. On top of the pole was a small sphere, and within it were optics for a security camera. In Cammy's mind, all efforts to remain inconspicuous were thrown out the window due to the blunder of one man. Visibly cringing in anger, she stormed up to the man only to be distracted by a spark erupting from the camera.

Chun-Li, noticing the look of confusion on her partner's face, walked up to the camera and rapped her hand on the base, looking up at the device.

"Don't worry, the optics look fried. Someone must have short-circuited this recently…"

"Then we are getting close," Cammy said, reinforcing what her man had said. "Alright, I want a five meter spread from here on out. This camera may be fried, but there may be ones further ahead that aren't. Be on your guard and stay clear of open areas, understood?"

She looked around her to see the men and women nodding in acknowledgement. Gesturing forward, the team proceeded to move as one in a crouch, using the foliage to their advantage. The rainforest proved to be a blessing in disguise once the team learned what to avoid and what to stick close to. The dark green outfits the team wore served as camouflage, and if they didn't wear their berets, they would be almost untraceable. Soft clinks and sloshes could be heard from their gear as they moved, but they were drowned out by the chirps and whoops of the birds and treetop creatures overhead.

Grumbling under her breath after ruining her white boots in a particularly troublesome patch of mud, Chun-Li looked forward to stare at Cammy. Despite the leaves and humid air of the forest, she showed no signs of weariness or fatigue, and she hardly flinched when a branch scraped against the peach skin surrounding her iconic green leotard. Her red cloak stood out too much in the forest anyway. Although tempted to look lower than the small of her partner's back, Chun-Li shook her head and continued to watch where she stepped.

A sudden snap of a twig and an open palm in the air stopped the men in their tracks. Following the silent order of their Captain, they silently readied their weapons and aimed into the forest. Large grey industrial walls could be seen in the distance, and the glare cast from the blue windows made it obvious that they had almost reached their destination. Cammy lowered her hand and licked her lips, softly forming one word.

"Theta."

Silence greeted her challenge, but only for two agonizing seconds. A respected voice called out from a dense patch of bushes.

"Blue."

A sigh of relief came from Chun-Li's lips as well as many of the men. Finding nothing wrong, Cammy lowered her weapon and trudged forward through the landscape to see her commanding officer in a prone position, binoculars pressed up to his eyes. Handing them over to his tech expert on his right, he turned to his left and watched as his star operative took a position next to him.

"Good timing, soldier."

Looking at her watch and seeing that the time was noon, Cammy nodded.

"Thank you sir. Any activity?"

Chun-Li remained in a crouch inside a heavily shadowed area near the two officers of Delta Red. She could see the men of Charlie team scattered about with rifles aimed at the facility and guard towers. The road to her left led to a chain-linked gate and guardhouse, which held a power box on its side. Two men from the specialist team were busy with said box, wirecutters in hand. Turning her attention back to the officers, Chun-Li could see the frown on the Colonel's face.

"We've seen nothing since we've arrived, not even one guard. I've got two men by that guardhouse poking around in the innards of a power box to open the gate. If that fails, we'll just cut through the fence."

"They're doing fine sir," George cut in, spectacles resting in his hairline as he observed the two men. "Yep, he cut the yellow wire… now just cross it with the orange one…"

"Any report from Bravo team?" Cammy asked.

"They radioed in not too long ago after arriving at their coordinates. Once that hangar is secured they can carry on with their primary objective while you take care of yours."

"Guile and his men won't be too far behind Luwanda with the helicopters," Chun-Li said, flicking a bug off her uniform. "I don't like going into the unknown… let's hope she keeps her word."

"She'd better," Cammy replied coldly.

A light mechanical screeching came from the gate as it parted, rewarding the efforts of the two red berets near the guardhouse. Nodding in approval, George handed the binoculars back to his commander and readjusted his spectacles. Smiling with pride at the efficiency of his men, the Colonel gave a pat on the back to his techie before motioning the recently arrived team to move inside the perimeter.

Moving from their rainforest cover, the men and women of Alpha team followed their Captain as she darted out to the side of the road. They were exposed, out in the open. Running past the gate, Cammy slammed her back into a nearby jeep and slid down to a crouch, watching as her men found cover behind similar vehicles. Peering out from the front of the jeep, she could see more vehicles parked nearby. A large covered truck lay idle near the front entrance to the facility; a viable means of cover for the operative and many of her men.

She moved from cover to cover, easing her way forward to the facility. Chun-Li easily kept up with her. Once the two women reached the truck, they gave each other questioning looks. It was too late to back out of the operation now, but it wasn't too late to question it. There was no telling what could happen, and although there had been much planning, the thought of being lied to was strong. Juri was a murderer and a terrorist, yet Delta Red trusted her just enough to accept her offer. If she betrayed their trust, a righteous hammer would come down full-force on her head, courtesy of two scorned women.

Silence permeated the area. Looking at her watch again, Cammy muttered a curse to find it was five minutes past noon. Just how long was "a little after noon" to that witch? She may have been impatient in waiting, but just like everyone else around the facility, she wanted the operation to be over with as quickly as possible. The front entrance had a card reader, its reading light a bright red. If the generators where shut off, that light would die, giving them visual confirmation that it was time to move in.

Thankfully, Cammy didn't have to wait any longer. Above the sounds of feet shuffling and gear rattling, a dull boom surfaced from deep inside the facility. The light from the door flickered twice before vanishing, leaving behind a dead door. There was no attempt to hide the surprise on Cammy's face. Juri had kept her word when she said she would let them in, but what other promises would she keep? Pushing that thought back, she rushed to the door with her men following every step, weapons sweeping over the area.

One soldier reached into his pack and pulled out a block of plastic explosives as he went to the door. Chun-Li put a hand on his shoulder to stop him before standing in front of the two door halves herself. She had a theory that the door was electronically locked, and without power, the door would open with enough force. Sure enough after giving the door a good pull, the doors parted to allow the team admittance into the facility.

Dark hallways greeted the men as they advanced, the only source of light coming from their flashlights and the occasional red alarm light, presumably powered by a backup generator. A siren blared from somewhere within. Slumped against the walls was a trio of men in white fatigues, three of many guards in the facility. A raven-haired woman broke off from the team to inspect them, finding a pulse in each. They had recent bruises, which combined with their current stupor made it likely that they were knocked out with a blunt weapon.

"Keep your guard up and check your corners. Close quarters combat; shoot in retaliation but only to incapacitate," Cammy said, averting her gaze from the unconscious men. "Be wary of forked hallways. We need to find the stairwell in this place, so yell if you find it."

She received several grunts of acknowledgement as the men branched out into squads to cover more ground. Divide and conquer, as it was more commonly known.

Hugging the right side of the hallways, Cammy moved forward, cautiously peeking around corners. Along the way she saw a set of open double doors that revealed a lavish-looking study. Expecting valuable research and files to be present there, she ordered a man to stand guard there as she continued. Juri wouldn't be in there. Like any villain, she presumed the Korean would be in the lowest level of the facility, awaiting their arrival.

"This isn't like any Shadaloo base I've ever seen," Chun-Li mused from behind her partner. "Luckily there are signs around here."

Cammy mumbled in agreement as she rounded a corner. Her Chinese friend was correct; signs were abundant at every intersection, serving to make sure no one got lost in the large facility. After a few more twists and turns, the directions for a stairwell were located. Conveniently, the side entrance to the facility's hangar was near that, and if the rhythmic marching of boots on linoleum were any indication, Bravo team had just passed through it.

Passing by her group was Major Luwanda, who turned and gave them a curt nod of acknowledgement before disappearing into a random hallway. There was no need to converse; Bravo team knew their job too well to ask for directives. More of her men followed her example and sped down hallways of their own in four man squads, searching for hostiles to capture and areas to defend. Chun-Li could hear whirling noises from the hangar and more footsteps; the USAF had just touched down to assist.

A loud rumbling came from further down the hallway, easily heard over the dull wailing of an emergency siren. As Cammy reached the stairwell she discovered the sound came from the ranged weapons expert Matthew McCoy, whose giant feet shook the halls with every step he took. He grunted and broke off with a squad of men to search the upper levels, wordlessly giving Cammy encouragement with his presence. If there were to be any S.I.N. patrols coming back to the facility, they would be quite surprised to see the barrel of Matthew's rifle aimed in their general direction.

A smile graced the pigtailed woman's lips, a brief glimmer of pride in her comrades. It didn't stay for long as she returned to the task at hand. Yelling down the hall, she alerted the rest of her team to the stairwell before taking the first steps down, knowing that they would follow. For every level she passed in her decent, she had to give up at least four men to allow them to secure it. The USAF soldiers would come down with their assault rifles and reinforce positions and squads soon enough.

As Chun-Li continued to move down with her partner, she couldn't help but notice a strange, yet eerily familiar voice echo throughout the facility. It sounded like someone was yodeling, but who would yodel in a situation or time like this? Who could even bring themselves to cheer out in what seemed like glee when scientists and guards alike were presumably at a loss for words, their throats gone dry at the sudden explosion and intrusions? Although it was her first thought, it couldn't possibly be Juri. She had a feeling that whoever the voice belonged to was presumed to be dead… but how could that be true, now that she had heard evidence that proved the contrary?

Whether or not her partner noticed the sound, she gave no indication. The overpowering scent of smoke wafted towards her nose, alerting her to the presence of fire. Looking down over the stairwell railing, her expression darkened when she caught sight of orange flames jutting out from a recently destroyed wall. Sparks and zaps sprang out from a destroyed machine within, impeding the descent of Alpha team. Getting to the same level as the machines without being in danger, Cammy mused that the floor they were on had to be the same one that housed the generators to the facility.

Elevators were out of the question. They were disabled in fires, and even if by some chance they weren't, the power loss would do the job. Positioning her machinegun in one hand, Cammy used her other to wipe bits of grime and debris from a nearby directory. The floor that they were currently on did indeed house the generators, as well as a few lab rooms and interestingly enough, a detention block. A soldier spoke up from behind her, having read the sign and came up with a suggestion.

"We could cut through this level to try to find fire extinguishers, Ma'am."

"That'll work," Cammy said with a nod. Before anyone could support the soldier's idea, she added, "But that will take too much time. A facility of this size has to have two evacuation routes, which mean another way down for us. We'll cut through this level," looking to the soldier who voiced his suggestion, "and we'll make a mental note of where the fire extinguishers are, just in case we need to double back. Understood?"

She knew the men understood, yet they nodded anyway and confirmed it. She opened a nearby door and edged herself through, machinegun first. The fire had blocked off an area of the corridor, diverting the team through an open door. A lab awaited them, filled with dead monitors and prone scientists. While of the white uniformed men did indeed look like they had passed on, every few seconds one would cringe in pain, shattering that thought.

Making her way to one scientist who was slumped over his workstation, Chun-Li produced a white ziptie from a pack attached to her waist and enclosed the material around the man's wrists. Other men in the team did the same, restraining the unconscious scientists as their comrades watched over them. Even if they weren't a threat now, they certainly would be in the future if they were not restrained. Surely there had to be at least one casualty, Cammy thought, looking down at a body. With all the infighting, someone must have suffered, yet whoever attacked the scientists did a good enough job to make sure they would not get up for awhile.

She would be giving Juri too much credit to say she singlehandedly paved the way for Delta Red. Psychopaths like her can only kill, finding that a much more permanent solution instead of simply knocking out those in her way. The only thing that screamed 'Juri' was the destroyed generators and the damages that resulted because of it. This was someone else's handiwork, but who's? It had to be more than one person, and it was obviously choreographed. The whole thought of Juri having a team of men loyal to her was unnerving, but before she could reflect on it, Cammy caught a flash of movement in the corner of her eye. She cautiously moved to the entity's location, absentmindedly flicking the safety of her firearm off.

One scientist had slowly risen from his position on the floor, his attire differentiating himself from his colleagues. Groggily ruffling his hair with his left hand- his right was covered in a cast- he groaned. Bruises littered his physique and his lab coat carried a few singes here and there. Cammy wasn't sure if he was knocked out or disoriented from the recent explosion, but that didn't matter at the time. She caught sight of a pistol in a holster attached to the man's thigh as she moved to get in front of him, raising her machinegun as a precaution.

"Get down on the floor!" she shouted, taking a few tentative steps towards him. "Down! Show me your hands!"

He had to be hallucinating. He didn't even know what to believe at the time; everything happened too fast to comprehend. Was it an explosion, or was it a flock of assassins that took down his Med-tech team? The ringing in his ears tempted him to believe the former, yet it persisted to the point that he believed it had already passed to reveal another completely different, yet equally loud noise. Sight slowly returning, he gazed upon what looked like a person dressed in green with a submachine pointed in his direction. Or was it a man dressed in blue? Could there be two people in front of him?

The sudden thought of another shakedown by his cruel, psychotic leader surfaced in the midst of his disorienting situation. All too quickly, a surge of anger gripped him. It _had _to be that woman, it just had to be her. What twisted message was she trying to convey this time? Work harder? I'm going to break your other hand? _I'm bored?_ He would have none of it. Others couldn't muster up the courage to do it, but he felt like he was backed into a corner, which granted him the means to do what must be done! He quickly reached for the pist-

Chun-Li stood in amazement as Cammy lashed out with a stiff right hook that was too quick to register. Everyone could hear the loud, resounding crack of flesh against knuckles over the turmoil happening throughout the facility. In an instant the scientist that made a move for his pistol was slumped against the wall, slowly sliding down it with his face. Shaking her hand, Cammy grunted and gestured for a ziptie. Chun-Li didn't need any encouragement and quickly deposited one in her partner's hand.

"Idiot," Cammy muttered under her breath, tying the unconscious man.

Before Chun-Li could lift a finger and comment on the situation, a shrill scream greeted their ears, then a loud, obnoxious bout of laughter.

'_Things must really be going to hell,' _she thought, frowning.

"Let's move," Cammy ordered, taking up her machinegun again and standing up. She pressed a door open with her foot and walked outside, hugging the right side of the hallway. Along the way one of the soldiers alerted her to a uniformed guard up ahead, assault rifle in hand. She held the team back and peered around corner, finding the guard pressed against a wall near a corner of his own, finger twitching near the trigger of his gun. His gaze was directed opposite of the approaching intruders, and it seemed as if he cared more about what was coming from a certain room than what was coming from above.

Cammy watched as the guard spun around to aim down a corridor that was out of the team's sight. Before he could fire his weapon, he was tackled by a younger-looking woman with blond hair in another, more decorated guards' uniform. Perhaps tackled wasn't quite the word, for the two guards laid in a crumpled heap, completely knocked out. The woman looked bruised and battered from a distance, as if she was thrown into her colleague.

"That's for ordering me around like some kinda lapdog!" someone said, his voice booming from the corridor the woman was just flung from.

"I… I know that voice…" Cammy mumbled, narrowing her eyes.

She picked up her pace and moved towards the two guards, hoping that one of them would cling to their consciousness long enough to answer a few questions. Time was of the essence, and she believed the woman would provide directions, or at least a helpful tip. No doubt she would want Juri to rot in a grave after the recent explosions and infighting, which was an optimistic thought. Before she could reach them, she forgot to check a corner, and thus, slammed into a random guard. The woman staggered back and hit her right shoulder on the wall, uttering a cry of pain.

Instantly a machinegun was pointed in her direction, its owner concerned for the wellbeing of her team and unconcerned for the obviously broken right arm the new entity sported. Her eyes widened in astonishment, then narrowed in anger. The woman dressed in a white guard's uniform had long crimson hair and jade eyes, as well as a scowl on her features. Adding a pair of yellow shades and a black suit to the woman's appearance in her mind, Chun-Li growled.

"You…"

Her pistol had been drawn and was aimed at her. This woman, this… guard could be none other than Crimson Viper, the same woman who had beaten her partner into submission, nearly killing her. Revenge wasn't beneath her at all, and justice could work hand in hand with it for good. She ignored the sounds of boots echoing throughout the hall, focusing on the assassin.

"Crimson Viper, I presume?" she asked, making no effort to hide her scorn.

She could see her eyebrow twitch up in amusement, as if the whole situation was a joke. A quick assessment of her figure brought back a fact that the woman had seen better days. Bruises littered her body and she stood to one side. An injury to her side, perhaps? Her attire seemed hastily put together, as if she had recently waken up or was caught off guard.

"Hmm, that's right," the crimson-haired woman answered. "Nice to see you too, officer." She looked over to Cammy, and if the pigtailed operative didn't know any better, she would have sworn she saw a tinge of regret and guilt flash across the assassin's face. "And the soldier as well."

Such a calm, collected demeanor amazed both the Chinese woman and British soldier. She was held at gunpoint by several men, but that didn't faze her in the slightest. The confidence she radiated irritated her two rivals, one who wished ill on her for a past battle and the other who wanted her rotting behind bars for the same reason, only it was her partner who suffered. She didn't carry any weapons, and the suit she flaunted before couldn't be seen. The women took a bit of reassurance in her vulnerability, finding her to be just as human as any of the men behind them.

"What's the holdup?" someone said from behind, his gruff voice drawing attention to himself.

Cammy spared a glance towards the source of the noise and frowned. Guile and a few of his men had funneled through the door from the recent lab and were standing behind the soldiers from Delta Red. Dressed in his green military fatigues and a rifle slung over his shoulder, Guile was not too pleased to wait in the middle of a hallway, exposed in an unknown location.

"Who's this?"

His question was directed towards the redhead, which Chun-Li was about to answer had it not been for a sudden interruption.

"You know who I am," Viper said with a slight smirk. "It's been awhile, hasn't it, Bill?"

Guile tilted his head like a confused bulldog, less angry that she used his first name and more interested that she knew it. He quickly looked her up and down, taking in her appearance. Her voice was eerily familiar to someone's, and her hair, although grown to a ridiculous length, was just as familiar. Those jade eyes… It couldn't possibly be her... but, taking a shot in the dark, he asked:

"Maya?"

Smiling, Viper nodded.

"It's nice to see you again, how's the wife?"

"Don't try to pull me into small talk, Maya," Guile growled, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Just what in the hell are you doing here?"

The two women holding 'Maya' at gunpoint cast confused glances towards Guile.

"Hold on Guile, you know this woman?" Chun-Li asked.

Sighing, the airman nodded.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. Girls, this… this is Maya Nash." Meeting Chun-Li's questioning stare, he continued. "I'm surprised you don't recognize her. You met her at Charlie's funeral."

"This can't be her," the officer said, shaking her head. "The woman I ran into couldn't stand to be in a place like this. How could she get in here, and just how could she interfere with my investigations?"

"Officer Xiang," Viper addressed with a tinge of annoyance, "you of all women should know that the more something is taken away from a human being, the more it is capable of doing. You take everything away from someone… there is no telling what they'll do. Of course, I'm lucky that that hasn't happened to me yet."

"You still have Lauren," Guile commented, maintaining his stoic, if not bored expression. "Now, for your own wellbeing," he grunted, gesturing to the guns leveled her way, "answer my question."

Chun-Li lowered her pistol and looked off to the side in thought. If Guile trusted this woman enough, the least she could do was give her the benefit of the doubt. However, until she answered the airman's question, she remained criminal; an assassin who killed for a terrible organization. And Chun-Li was good at defeating criminals… except for that one Korean woman. But she refocused on the task at hand... the supposed wife of Guile's best friend.

"Simple, I work here, for S.I.N. Before you assume anything, I work for another organization." Patting her recently acquired guard uniform with her uninjured left hand, she sighed. "I don't have my badge with me, so I don't take it that my word is good enough for you two," she grumbled, eying Cammy and Chun-Li.

"Get on with it," Cammy grunted.

"I was hoping I'd talk more. You know, build up suspense before the big reveal and whatnot. Sadly, meathead here took some of that suspense away." Unfazed by the pigtailed operative's hardened gaze, she said, "Fine. I'm with the CIA."

Cammy scoffed.

"That's so random it might just be true. If it is, I don't know whether to slap your hand for your work or kick you in the face for what you did to me. I'm tempted to do the latter."

"She's been beaten up recently," Chun-Li mused, gently pushing the muzzle of Cammy's firearm away from Viper. "I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and hope that you're the spy Juri caught…"

"We don't exactly have time to chat," Guile said, looking down one hallway. "We need to get going… 'Crimson Viper' isn't the woman we came here to get."

"You're right," 'Maya' replied, looking in his direction. "The fire blocked off the only stairwell down, but you can get to the lower level through the detention block just down the hall. From there, it's a straight shot to the core room, where I assume Juri will be waiting… either to surrender or end it all in some fiery, climatic battle."

Despite his best efforts, Guile couldn't help but smile at her sarcastic comment. He nodded to the women, giving them a sign to get going. They muttered to themselves over the fate of Viper until the gaze Guile gave them sunk in. He could easily handle himself, and he didn't seem like he would just let the crimson-haired agent go. They turned on their heels and moved down the hallway, trying to avoid the temptation to look behind them.

Taking Viper's good arm in his hand, Guile gave her a demanding look. She wouldn't be able to weasel her way out of this situation, and she couldn't run away with all the men between her and the exit blocking her way. But she wouldn't be running anymore. If things went according to Juri's plans, all her years of investigation and espionage would pay off, opening the door to the BLECE project and a well deserved vacation at home with her only daughter. The data would be in her hands, and soon, the CIA's.

A sudden, ear shattering explosion insulted her optimism.

* * *

><p>Everything had gone according to plan. From the destruction of the power generators to the pacifications of certain troublesome groups of S.I.N. guards, everything had turned up diamonds. Never mind the fact the whole thing had been planned in a mere hour and on such short notice. Juri attributed most of her operation's current success to the old Shadaloo dolls. Without them, the path to her would be riddled with opposition, which would severely dampen the efforts of the intruding military forces.<p>

Balrog had played his part well, for it was tailored to him. A lithe and tiny doll couldn't possibly take on his task. It called for more strength and constitution than what they possessed, and Balrog was just the welcoming wagon needed to secure that detention block. Men and women of the guard had tried, but their efforts to stop him from beating them senseless were fruitless. But even a hulk of a man like the crazy buffalo couldn't best everyone on brute force alone.

Juri folded her arms and looked to her left from her position near Seth's unnecessary and out of place throne. The crazy buffalo was leaning against a wall in the room, massaging his knuckles and looking quite singed. He had recently returned from his task at an unfortunate time, but, despite the ringing in his ears, he did not suffer much from Juri's seemingly impromptu act. Aprile was at his side, tending to a few cuts the boxer earned from his scuffles with the guards. She may have been seen as a mouse compared to his size, as he gave no indication of her presence other than a few grunts when she touched a sore spot.

An audible scoff tore Juri's attention away from the two and onto a particularly displeased individual skulking in the shadows of the room. She couldn't help but grin wickedly at his displeasure. Gone were the women, the dolls, that he used to handle. Now they took up positions on either side of the red carpet leading up to the throne, to their new master. Inwardly he was seething, but all that he showed on the outside were his eyes, which peered out into the room from his white mask like a hungry predator.

_'Pretty smart, Vega,' _he could remember the Korean witch say to him when he confronted her, _'using the fact that you're the dolls' handler to get close enough to eavesdrop on us. Now that you know what I'm up to, just what will you do now? I'll save you from thinking and give you the same offer that I gave Balrog, or I can kill you right here and now. It's entirely up to you either way,' _she said with a sneer, as if the right to choose was a gift she gave and took often.

Oh how he wanted to drive his claw through her wretched body and be done with her. Chivalry guided his hand then, betraying him in his time of great want. He returned the Korean's arrogant expression with an upturn of his lips, deciding to humor her. He would listen to her offer, which he later came to realize was for money. He would be offered payment to stand at her side. In essence, he may have well been a mercenary.

Declining her offer and watching her face fall was utterly hilarious, and it took a great deal of effort to bite back the laughter. He was a nobleman; money was no problem for him. However, as he soon came to realize, Juri wasn't known to take no for an answer. Like a spoiled child, she always got what she wanted. If Vega couldn't be bought, he would be persuaded. He was a wanted criminal, yet he flew free like a bird. But even a free bird needed to roost every now and then.

_'What will happen when you finally get caught, Vega? Don't say 'if', because today you certainly will. Perhaps you'll get lucky and you'll go to an insane asylum. They've got silky straightjackets and nice, clean white padded rooms for you to sulk in. Or,' _she said, rolling her eyes nonchalantly, _'maybe the thought of a public prison suits your fancy. With a pretty name like Vega, I'm sure you'll fit in nicely. Just a few scars and bruises, but you're not afraid of that now… are you?'_

He couldn't remember what exactly he did at that point, but to end up in the position he was in now, it was unforgivable. She threatened his face, and none who did that were able to see the light of the next day. But he couldn't kill her; it wouldn't solve anything, and she had a plan that could benefit him in the long run. It was the short run that troubled him, to give in and invest his freedom in hopes of receiving more in the future.

No doubt Juri was reveling in her triumph of 'convincing' Vega to stand by her side. He was a valuable ally after all. But not even the lanky Spaniard or the buff boxer were close to the level of worth as Crimson Viper. It was she who provided the plan and guidelines for Juri to follow, and follow them she did… to a degree. Her plan took a turn when it came to the fate of the BLECE project. Even when reassured by Viper, her mind was set and wouldn't be changed. She put up a façade of acceptance during the negotiation, fooling the agent into a false sense of accomplishment.

The sound of heavy footsteps caught the leader's attention and directed it towards an opening out of the throne room. She took a few tentative steps over to stand at the railing of the balcony overlooking the core room, which, after Juri's touch, seemed about ready to collapse. Cackling fires bathed the area in an unholy orange light, illuminating broken computer consoles and screens. The floor was a mess, and many of the hexagonal tiles had fallen into a water abyss, leaving behind few tiles that rested on stable rock. They would provide enough room to maneuver fully around the main core, which lay in smoldering ruins.

Juri had her reasons for destroying the core and all of its data, including the BLECE project. It was not done as a spontaneous act, but as a justified, righteous one.

As she looked down to the ruins of the core she could both see and hear Viper's lamenting. The agent was standing at the base of it despite her condition, staring up at the destroyed top. Two large balls of energy were circling the top of the core, dancing around as if they had been freed. In reality, they were free, for the energy was in fact the ki stolen from test subjects over the years in S.I.N.'s quest to bring the BLECE project to fruition. Juri shook her head at the sight of Viper bending down to pick up what seemed to be the remains of a crimson flash drive. She would want her head for this, but after this stunt and all that Juri did, who wouldn't?

"Years of investigation down the goddamned drain," she mumbled, drooping her shoulders.

As Viper angrily threw the destroyed flash drive to the side, a man came up from behind and grumbled a few words of encouragement. His blond, flattop hairstyle and military fatigues told Juri that this was the soldier she fought in the mountains. She felt a tinge of relief at seeing that he was alive, for if he died, negotiation with her favorite Chinese officer would be out of the question. She was there beside the soldier, dressed in a crisp Interpol uniform that exuded a sense of professionalism, more so that when she wore that blue qipao. Her auburn hair was done up in ox-horns, which were covered by tiny bits of cloth. It would be demeaning to call her cute… she was beautiful, even in the darkness of the core room.

Juri's stomach fluttered at the sight. She had believed she wouldn't come, and mentally cursed herself for goading that soldier about her. But that didn't matter now, as she was here. Chun-Li could be reasoned with, which brought hope back into her heart. Before Juri could even grin, she felt a pair of eyes on her. She sighed and searched for the source, standing up straight.

How odd that she hadn't noticed the Delta Red operative earlier, as she was rooted to Chun-Li's side like the ever faithful partner she believed herself to be. She stood to one side with a tilted gaze and a look that could kill outright. In her hands she cradled a submachine gun, but thankfully it was not pointed at Juri. Yet. It was a room clearing firearm, not a rifle, and even if she really wanted to, the Korean would either kill her before she aimed her gun or run off as soon as the first bullet left the chamber. But the purpose of this operation was to take her alive, even if the operative's finger was twitchy.

And she knew someone deserved revenge just as much as she did, and she would partake in it hand in hand with her.

_'Dear god,' _Juri thought, shaking her head at the pigtailed woman,_ 'do you ever wear pants?' _

Before the tension in the room reached a dangerous point, Juri removed herself from the balcony and turned to return to the throne room. Viper yelled her name, but it fell on deaf ears. She wouldn't be intruding in her plans anymore, but the very least she could do was direct the other two women where to go. As Juri walked back to lean against the lavish seat, she swore she could see a smirk beneath Vega's mask. No doubt he would enjoy the inevitable verbal fight and her capture.

Juri knew she wouldn't get out of this, but it was her intention to get caught. What was there left to do in her eyes? Her eyes had been opened, her thirst for revenge was sated, she finally avenged her parents' deaths, and her part in this world was drawing to a close. Yet she couldn't help the sinking feeling that surfaced in her stomach that screamed this idea was nothing more than a terrible plot, that she was not destined to seek atonement. Destiny and fate were but walls that prevented beings from making progress, and to do so, the walls needed to come crashing down.

The last of the Han family stood at the top of the steps, awaiting capture. She felt complete, and she had nothing left to lose. There were no loved ones to encourage or dissuade her, no friends to support or discourage her, and no ties that bound her. She severed all ties over the years; most of them were done unintentionally in her work while the rest were done today, intentionally. If it were any other person in her position, they would face their capture with sad resignation, feeling that they deserved it and whatever would come their way for giving up. But Juri had not given up, she had given in. Despite her good intentions and meanings, she wouldn't go down without a fight, or at least a one-sided verbal debate.

Suddenly the big double doors at the beginning of the red carpet opened, revealing the Delta Red operative. Immediately her left hand whisked away from the material of the door and back to her firearm, which she aimed at Juri. Nothing could prepare her for the sight in front of her. Seeing not only Vega and Balrog standing idly by, her sisters were glaring at her with their weapons drawn. She felt cold metal at her throat and risked a glance to her right, seeing one of her Japanese sisters with a sword pressed dangerously close to her jugular vein.

She heard a gasp from behind and knew to belonged to Chun-Li. But her partner wasn't on her mind; it was the fact that her sisters were being used against her, and Juri was the one pulling their strings that probed her brain. A dark chuckle filled the room, followed closely by a clap. The doll to Cammy's right removed the sword from the original's throat and sheathed it, obeying a tacit order.

Juri brought attention to herself by clearing her throat. Although the dolls had the tendency to loyally defend their master, they would have to stand down today. The thought of turning them over to Cammy was interesting, but unacceptable. Judging by the scowl on the woman's face, she detested the idea of commanding her fellow sisters, but not as much as having her nemesis use them as her own personal guard. But if she did- no, she was too proud to do it. She readjusted her firearm, not aiming it at Juri but not exactly holstered. Surprisingly, the dolls did not mind the weapon, nor did they care about the Chinese officer bringing up the rear with her pistol drawn.

Upon seeing Vega, Chun-Li's expression soured.

"Vega? Shouldn't you be dead?"

The shock in her voice overshadowed the spite that came disguised with it. Juri raised an eyebrow at her tone, slightly surprised. Perhaps the two had run into each other numerous times before she got in on the action herself. She turned her head to look at Vega, who folded his arms across his chest and mumbled a few curses. By all means, he would rather be dead than suffer any upcoming humiliation. If there was any light to gather in this situation, he would at least be handled by beautiful women. Balrog grunted, glad to be ignored for once.

Cammy began to move forward, paying close attention to the dolls in the corners of her eyes. They followed her every movement, and their hands were hovering over their sheathed weapons. While the pink haired doll with the unholstered handguns was particularly unnerving, Cammy found the fact that she could only count ten was more so. Where was the doll with the auburn eyes and hair: Juli? She returned her full attention to Juri, raising her submachine gun yet again.

"My sisters… you're missing one!"

Slowly raising both of her hands above her head, Juri sneered.

"Two exactly."

"Don't get smart with me," Cammy replied, taking one of the steps up to her. Her tone started off calmly enough, but as she continued, the anger in voice became impossible to miss. "Brown hair, brown eyes, goes by the name of Juli… the one I saw you kidnap in the mountains?"

As Chun-Li followed, she swore she could see Juri's expression falter. Before she could verify it, Juri's sneer returned.

"She's not here. But other than that, isn't this one big family reunion?"

"What did you do to her?" was the reply.

"Honestly, I didn't do anything to her. If you really want to see how she is now, I'm sure you can poke around in the infirmary ward nearby. She's alive, that's all that matters."

Ignoring Cammy, Juri focused on Chun-Li. Her violet eyes connected with her brown. She wasn't delighted to see Juri as she was to see her, but she wasn't visibly frustrated like her partner. Like the professional that she was, she wore a stoic mask that was untouched by the tense atmosphere. The mask, however, was cracking with every snide comment the Korean was making towards her partner. In those eyes she found a message: make a move and you'll regret it.

Juri wished the situation could be resolved quickly and efficiently, and the only way to do so was to keep up her current insensitive and demeaning façade. She wouldn't drop to her knees and offer her wrists to be bound, for whatever pride she retained would not permit it. Coming off too soft and resigned would alert the officer and soldier to believe in a trap, and acting as if the whole ordeal was a joke and threatening them wouldn't help her either. To walk out in one piece, she needed to show them the Juri they were accustomed to while abstaining from stirring the waters of their acquaintanceship too much.

But just how much could she get away with?

"Here you stand," Cammy said, only a few steps away from Juri, "a wanted murderer and terrorist, and now you've given up?"

"Me? A terrorist? And here I thought terrorists had funny names and silly hats. Who said anything about giving up? Certainly not moi," she said, turning her head up and to the side as if she was disgusted. "Are you going to go somewhere with this, like, start monologuing or something? I've had enough crazy for one week."

"Juri," Chun-Li interjected as she gripped her pistol with two hands to aim it at the Korean, "I suggest you stop talking now before-"

"You suggest? Pfft… hehehe! Why don't you order me to be quiet?" Narrowing her eyes at the officer, Juri continued. "Here I was, standing idly by awaiting capture before your little kitten pops a question and sparks up a conversation. Not that I mind. I like beating her on the verbal front. Now, are you going to stand there seething or are you going to act?"

The goading was beginning to take its toll on the officer, if the bared teeth were any indication. She wanted to tell Juri to get on her knees, as her legs would become deadly if she decided to fight back, but she feared that if she opened her mouth, she would supply her with more material to be used against her. Would she be cooperative enough to tie? Only then would the officer be able to read her the only right she has.

Cammy shook her head, her face becoming the same shade of red as her beret. Still the witch insisted on fighting, even if it wasn't a physical battle. She would pay for her insolence, one way or another. If she so much as mocked Chun-Li, would that count as impersonating an officer? The operative dared Juri to try. She wouldn't be made a mockery of; especially in front of a group of terrorists.

Juri's sneer began to die down as she looked at the weapons in her rivals' hands. A look of genuine sincerity flashed across her features before she sighed.

"Look… if you're going to shoot me, shoot me. If not, put the guns away."

Once again, Cammy was reminded of the purpose of the mission. Juri, despite the overwhelming hate she garnished, needed to be taken alive. She orchestrated this entire operation, and without her the two wouldn't be here. The least she deserved was a little credit, and a sliver of trust. If she wanted them dead, she would have killed them as soon as she saw them, or she could have ordered that doll to slit their throats. Cammy mumbled and slung her firearm over her shoulder as Chun-Li holstered her pistol. Maybe things weren't always as they seemed. But… on the other hand…

"Yay," Juri exclaimed sarcastically, "we're making so much progress today! Now, if only-"

A punch to the stomach silenced her, leaving her to slump over the pigtailed assailant. Juri's eyes widened as the wind was pushed out from her; she wasn't expecting that from Cammy. She could see Chun-Li watching over the scene with a resigned expression, and she knew that she wouldn't step in to stop her partner. Nearby the trio could hear the grunts from Balrog as well as the muffled giggles from Vega, who was enjoying the schadenfreude.

The soldier took hold of Juri's arm and turned to fling the Korean over her shoulder. Once she landed painfully on her back, Cammy grabbed her hand and gave it a twist, locking her in a painful position with a boot to her stomach. She risked a glance up and saw that her sisters were surrounding her, prepared to pry the Killer Bee away. Juri waved them off with her other hand from the floor, attempting to regain her breath. When she did, she began to giggle, much to Cammy and Chun-Li's chagrin.

"Do you think this is a joke?" Cammy shouted, her hands digging into the fabric of Juri's gloves. "This isn't funny at all!"

"I beg to differ!" Juri retorted, trying in vain to stifle her giggles.

"You'll be begging for a lot more if you keep this up."

"The BLECE project," Chun-Li piped, crouching down to Juri, "why did you destroy it?"

"BLECE? Damn! That's what you came for?" She put on a pouting face. "Chunny, I'm hurt! I thought you came for me! It would have been such a romantic occasion… you, me, a big burning fire…"

Cammy pressed her boot further into Juri's stomach, winding her.

"Answer the question," she barked.

"I don't have enough people trying to kill me," Juri replied, sarcastically. "Might as well add Viper and all of S.I.N. And don't forget: I love explosions!"

"Last chance," Chun-Li growled. "Why did you destroy the BLECE project?"

"Persistent, aren't you?" Juri growled back. "You're an enigma, Chun. Just when I think I have you figured out you throw this at me. Shouldn't you be happy that the project's dead? You're so concerned about the reasons and meaning behind this little action that you fail to see the consequences of it. The fact of the matter is this: with BLECE gone, there's one less source of power for idiots in big chairs to squabble over. Don't believe anything Viper or whatever she calls herself says about it. Yes, BLECE is a tool, and while tools are meant to be used, they're also meant to be broken." She frowned and looked up at Cammy. "Who knows what could happen if the project fell into already powerful hands…"

"If you're implying that the American CIA will use this data to the worst of intentions-"

"Worst of intentions? Ha! They'd probably try to do some good with it; nothing but the best of intentions. But some of the worst things imaginable have been done with the best intentions, and no matter whose hands they are, they'll screw up. It's a matter of corruption, you see." Juri turned her head to stare at Chun-Li. "Don't give me that face. You and your 'partner' would have done the same thing as I did if you knew what BLECE could do. You've seen corruption in the police force, seen fellow officers kill each other over weapons or some stash they confiscated. Can you imagine the chaos if everyone had the thought they could take and take without consequence?"

The officer turned away, absentmindedly fiddling with a ziptie as she spoke.

"Why should I believe you? You confined me to a hospital bed for a long time, attempted to kill both Guile and Cammy, and stole her sisters."

"Oh yes, yes! But that was then, this is now," she said quickly, albeit exuberantly. "Look Chunners, I can break free from your kitten right now if I wanted to. I'm not cornered, so I'm not lying to get out of it."

She had a point there. With the power radiating from her Feng Shui Engine, she could crush them as if they were paper and toss them aside. The fact that she hadn't fought them or let alone retaliated against Cammy confused Chun-Li. She was allowing them to back her into a corner, but instead of striking out like an animal, she would offer her wrists. Was this whole operation her idea of atoning for her sins? The thought sparked an inkling of respect for the Korean, and just a little more trust. It seemed likely, but Chun-Li needed to find out for herself.

"Cammy, let her get up," Chun-Li ordered, turning back to look at her.

The Delta Red operative gave her a questioning look. The words 'are you sure' were evident on her face. Sighing, Chun-Li nodded and approached Juri as she was released from Cammy's death grip on her hand and stomach.

"Good to know you're not barking mad… this makes things easier," she said dully as Juri picked herself up. She could feel her eyes on her holstered sidearm, and the hand that hovered near it. "Turn around and give me your hands."

Oddly enough, Juri complied. She rolled her shoulders, turned around and offered her hands without so much as a word. Skepticism gripped Chun-Li, as she was expecting a few words or at the very least a gesture of insolence. Just as doubt began to overtake her, Juri turned her head to give her a lewd smile as she clenched and unclenched her hands. The Interpol officer saw her smile and raised her one glare, quickly grabbing one hand. She removed her gloves and spiked bracelets and pocketed them before placing the material of one ziptie against her naked wrist.

"I'll go tend to the other two," Cammy said, detaching her gaze from the two women to focus on Vega and Balrog.

She carefully nudged a doll out of her way as she went, sadly finding that they were apathetic to her presence. It pained her to see her sisters like this. Juri was a provocative sort as well as a sadistic one, so the idea of her doing things to her sisters plagued her mind. As she shook her head to clear that thought Chun-Li began to speak in a monotonous- if not stern- tone.

"You have the right to remain silent," she said, tying both of Juri's hands together. "Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak t-"

Juri blew a raspberry, silencing the officer for a second.

"Yeah yeah, I know the Miranda Rights. Can we get on with this?"

"I wasn't finished, Juri," Chun-Li growled.

"Would it help at all if I said you're my favorite officer?"

Chun-Li reached for the ziptie and pulled, putting it into a tighter increment. Ignoring the cry of surprise, she continued.

"You have the right to speak to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you. Do you understand these rights as they have been read to you?"

"…Yeah," Juri muttered in a despondent tone.

"We meet again, Ms. White," Vega said from nearby, his voice easily reaching the officer and assassin. "If only we-"

"Not now Vega," Cammy interjected curtly, swiftly tying him and taking him by surprise.

"This is stupid," Balrog muttered, wiggling his bound wrists. "The dog gets chained and the cats get to run free?"

"Those 'cats' are my sisters, and if I hear you refer to them again like that, I swear I won't be so lenient with you."

"You put two goddamned ties on me! You ain't taking it easy on me!"

The dolls weren't a threat to anyone as long as no one provoked them or the person controlling them. Juri was the one in charge, yet she left them be. Cammy was perplexed by their calm demeanor, but realized they weren't exactly paying attention to the situation, instead only casting quick glances at their master every time Chun-Li touched her. If only there was some way to force the dolls to follow her orders, then Cammy would be able to coax them outside and to safety, and eventually to freedom.

"You're worried about them," Chun-Li said in a hushed aside to Cammy. "I can tell."

"If we get them out of here, I can call upon Dhalsim and Rose to help them." Cammy glanced at a red-haired medical doll for a few seconds before leaning into Chun-Li. "The problem is how we are going to do that. They don't seem to mind being pushed or lead, so I could herd them back to the surface."

"The helicopters should be humming right now and ready for touch-off, but don't forget Juli."

"I won't," Cammy said, nodding. "No sister of mine is being left behind." She turned to look over at Juri, who was mulling about on the left arm of the throne. "Do you need any help with her?"

"I think I can handle her." She shook her head and gave Cammy a guilty look. "Look, I know this is hard to take, but I trust her just enough to walk out of here and straight into the helicopter. When she gets there, I swear I will watch her like a hawk."

Cammy frowned and raised her eyebrows.

"You're going to ride in the helicopter with her? No no no, I won't allow this!" Her voice changed into a harsh whisper. "Please tell me you're joking. You heard what I had to say about her, and what she wants."

"Exactly, and because of that, I'm riding with her," Chun-Li retorted. "You said it yourself. She's not interested in killing me; she's just interested in me. If I'm hundreds of feet up in the air in the same helicopter as she is, the last thing she would ever want to do is kill me to escape." She caught Cammy's shocked expression and grabbed her by the arms, looking directly into her eyes. "Listen, this is our only chance. You need to take care of your sisters. I'll be alright with Juri." Sighing, she released her from her grip. "Don't you trust your partner?"

Cammy drooped her head and averted her gaze from Chun-Li. She looked to Juri again. Trust… she trusted Chun-Li of course, but not that Korean murderess. If her partner had enough trust in Juri to believe that she would be compliant enough for transport, then who was she to stand in a determined officer's way? She wet her lips and looked back at Chun-Li.

"Alright… Just be careful."

Chun-Li nodded, smiling softly. It quickly vanished as she turned around and approached Juri to grab her by the arm.

"We're leaving."

"Where to?" Juri questioned softly.

"A half-hour's flight to a nearby airfield, then England. You'll answer for your crimes there."

* * *

><p><em>Present Day, Rindokan Dojo, Japan<em>

* * *

><p>Juri sighed and stretched, stifling a yawn. She scratched her nose afterward, rolling her eyes to the left to stare at the patiently waiting trio of young women. Her story had both entertained and moved them, and now it was nearing its close.<p>

"What is it? Did you forget something?" Ibuki asked, clutching her knees close to her body.

"Na," Juri replied. "I just don't know how to end this little story."

"Well… what happened in the helicopter with the officer?" Makoto wondered, curious.

Groaning, Juri folded her arms before her tone became a disgusted one.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"What? Nothing?" Sakura raised an eyebrow and frowned. "You're Juri. She's Chun-Li. Something had to have happened between you two when you were alone."

"I wanted to talk, girl to girl, but Chunners would have none of it. I don't know what the hell I said that day to deserve the cold shoulder, but she refused to speak to me."

"Maybe you got to her," Ibuki chimed in.

"No no, I don't think I pissed her off. Now Cammy's a different story. Oh she was pissed at me for Juli, even when I insisted I had nothing to do with it." She smiled and unfolded her arms. "Thankfully Chun flew in the same plane as she and I did. I could feel a fight was about to break out at any minute."

"I don't think Ibuki means that you made Chun-Li angry," Makoto said, understanding her friend. "You made her think, and I believe because of that Chun-Li threw in a word of support for you at your hearing."

"Is that so? I thought I was coming off as someone I wasn't after she tied me." Juri chuckled and pushed herself up from the roof. "Certainly didn't score any points with her when I referred to Cammy as 'that one chick with the ass'."

Ibuki giggled at that while Makoto and Sakura laughed nervously. The day was hardly over, as it was just the late afternoon. A gentle breeze picked up, making the women shudder out of reflex.

"What will you do now, Juri?" Sakura asked, assuming her story was finished.

"Now?" She turned to the nearby ladder for a moment, smiling. "Meh. Whatever I feel like, I guess. Now if you excuse me, I have a spider to bury."

"Want some help?" she could hear the girls ask.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I'm done here. If I even add one more chapter, I'm just going to continue beating a dead horse. The end.


End file.
